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BLESSED   CH.  SPINOLA  S.J. 
MARTYR    IX  JAPATC 

SEP?  2P    IG'f  2. 


*•♦• 


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C\^/l/U\>\/^ 


LIFE  ^.^-^ 


OF   THE 


ELESSED  CHARLES  SPIXOLA, 


OF  THE  SOCIETY  OF  JESUS 


WITH    A    SKET 


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\dF    THE    OTHEir^A^AXtf^E^  ,; 


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BY 


JOSEPH   BROECKAERT,  S.  J. 


^.  -vt*    >•'* 

v>^    ■i!>^  Jji  \  ■■¥•-  ^n  H  N    G.   SHE 
^^  SC^*^  1869. 


922. 2X 


,S76 

tJ7 


Entered  accordinq;  to  net  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1868, 

By  JOSEPH   LOYZANCE, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
Soutliern  District  of  New  York. 


"    p  "        BOSTON  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 
JAH2  8t9ff  CHESTNUT  HILL,  MA 


PREFACE. 


In  the  montli  of  December,  1866,  wlieu  the  French, 
on  leavmg  Rome,  seemed  to  abandon  the  Pope  to 
the  mercy  of  his  enemies,  all  eyes  were  riveted  on 
the  holy  city,  in  the  expectation  of  some  revolu- 
tionary movement.  This  was  the  moment  chosen  by 
Pius  IX  to  announce  to  the  astonished  world  that,  in 
the  month  of  July  then  ensuing,  he  would  solemnly 
proceed  to  the  Beatification  of  a  large  number  of 
Japanese  martjTS.  As  this  coincided  with  the  time 
for  celebrating  the  eighteenth  centenary  jubilee  of 
the  death  of  St.  Peter,  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  invited 
all  the  bishops  of  Catholicity  to  gather  around  him 
on  that  occasion.  Some  regarded  this  as  a  chal- 
lenge ;  it  Avas,  however,  simply  a  holy  confidence  in 
the  cause  of  the  Church ;  it  was,  perhaps,  an  in- 
spiration from  on  High.  In  spite  of  menacing  fore- 
bodings, in  spite  of  dark  plots,  all  took  place  as  the 
Pope  had  announced,  and  the  august  ceremony  of 
the  glorification  of  our  martyrs  was  accomplished 
with  a  splendor  of  which  Pome  alone  is  capable,  and 
was  witnessed  by  five  hundred   bishops   and  thou- 


4  PREFACE. 

sands  of  the  faithful  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 
Praised  be  Jesus  Christ !  He  watches  over  his 
Church,  while  he  tries  it;  he  justifies  his  promises, 
and  guarantees  them  anew  to  the  end  of  time. 

Japanese  martyrs !  Twice  within  a  few  years  we 
behold  Saints  from  the  far  East  glorified,  and  while 
we  render  this  homage  to  the  martyrs  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  other  combats  crimson  the  same  soil, 
illustrious  confessors  suffer  and  die  for  the  faith, 
new  crowns  are  woven  for  new  triumphing  heroes. 
Must  the  blood  of  martyrs  be  again  the  seed  of 
Christians?  Is  the  Gospel  to  conquer  the  rest  of 
heathendom  ?  Will  the  torch  of  faith  fade  from  the 
eyes  of  ungrateful  races  to  enlighten  those  still 
seated  in  the  shadow  of  death  ?  This  is  God's  secret. 
Bowing  to  his  inscrutable  designs,  let  us  celebrate 
with  joy  the  triumph  of  the  Japanese  martyrs ;  let  us, 
with  Pius  IX.,  confidently  invoke  their  support  in 
the  tribulations  amid  which  the  Holy  Church  of 
Christ  is  passing. 

The  Beatified  servants  of  God  proclaimed  in  the 
solemnity  of  July  7,  1867,  number  two  hundred  and 
five.  They  comprise  religious  of  the  orders  of  St. 
Dominic  and  St.  Francis,  Augustinians,  Jesuits,  and 
many  Japanese  laics.^     Among  these  groups  of  glori- 


^  Of  the  two  hundred  and  five  martyrs  there  are  twenty-one 
Dominicans,  eighteen  Franciscans,  five  Augustinians,  and  thirty-three 
Members  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  It  will  also  be  consoling  to  see 
that  several  are  by  their  birth  or  apostolic  labors  identified  with 
America. 


PREFACE.  5 

ous  martyrs  there  is  one  which  must  especially  rivet 
the  attention  of  a  son  of  St.  Ignatius,  and  at  the 
head  of  this  group'  stands  a  holy  personage  in 
whom  the  author  of  this  book  has  for  forty  years 
vowed  special  confidence.  Now  that  he  can,  in  all 
freedom,  unite  his  voice  to  that  of  the  Supreme  Head 
of  the  Church,  he  would  be  happy,  indeed,  if  he  can 
infuse  into  all  the  children  of  God  the  same  senti- 
ments ;  more  happy  still,  if  the  perusal  of  these  pages 
inspire  some  elect  souls  with  a  devotedness  like  that 
of  the  holy  martyr. 

The  life  of  Father  Charles  Spinola  was  written  in 
Italian  only  six  years  after  his  death,  by  his  cousin, 
Father  Fabius  Ambrose  Spinola.  In  every  respect  it 
deserves  implicit  confidence,  and  has  been  used  by 
all  who  have  treated  of  the  same  subject.  Father 
Herman  Hugo  translated  it  into  Latin,  and  Father 
d' Orleans  gave  an  abridgment  of  it  in  French.  Besides 
this  principal  source  I  have  consulted  the  History  of 
Japan  by  Father  de  Charlevoix ;  Father  Cordara's 
Sixth  Part  of  the  Latin  History  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  the  Letters  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  and  some 
other  ''Indian  Letters,"  without  enumerating  the 
modern  publications  on  the  Japanese  martyrs. 

In  selecting  a  hero  among  the  illustrious  men 
whom  the  Church  has  just  placed  on  our  altars,  I 


^  May  one  of  tbe  translators  add  that,  on  liis  part,  lie  learned  to 
venerate  Blessed  diaries  Spinola  from  Father  Isaac  Jogues,  who 
died  for  the  faith  in  New  York  State,  and  who  had  taken  B.  Charles 
as  the  patron  of  his  missionary  career. 


6  PREFACE. 

cannot  entirely  pass  over  the  glorious  deaths  of  his 
companions.  Moreover,  I  was  so  delighted  with 
what  I  have  just  read  in  the  Italian  account  by  Father 
Boero,  the  zealous  postulator  in  the  cause  of  the 
Beatification,  that  I  have  deemed  it  proper  to  add  to 
this  life  of  Blessed  Charles  Spinola  an  account  of 
the  two  hundred  and  five  martyrs  beatified  July  7, 

1867. 

The  portrait  given  is  taken  from  that  issued  from 
Plantin's  press  in  1630,  and  may  be  considered  as  au- 
thentic. It  was  doubtless  the  one  used  in  the  mir- 
aculous cures  to  be  mentioned  hereafter.  The  plan 
of  the  prison  of  Omura  is  from  a  design  of  the 
Blessed  Charles  himself  transmitted  by  him  to  Eome. 
The  group  of  martyrs  is  reproduced  from  a  remarka- 
ble painting  used  in  the  ceremony  of  the  Beatifica- 
tion. 

LouvAiN,  Nativity  of  our  Lord,  1867. 


INTRODUCTION. 


I. 

Persecutions  of  the  Church  in  Japan. 

Tlie  Church  of  Japan,  though  of  a  recent  founda- 
tion, has  been  one  of  the  most  illustrious  by  the  ex- 
amples of  unshaken  constancy  in  the  faith  which  it 
has  exhibited.  The  apostle  St.  Francis  Xavier,  first 
in  1549,  bore  the  light  of  the  gospel  to  that  remote 
empire  ;  for  twenty-seyen  months  he  visited  the  prin- 
cipal cities,  penetrating  to  Macao,  its  capital,  amid  a 
thousand  dangers,  with  incalculable  hardship,  but  he 
converted  to  Christianity  a  great  number  of  proselytes, 
whom  he  confided  to  the  care  and  zeal  of  his  suc- 
cessors. So  rapidly  did  Christianity  spread  during 
the  reign  of  Nobunanga,  and  the  first  five  years  of  that 
of  Taicosama,  that  there  were  more  than  two  hundred 
thousand  Catholics  in  the  various  kingdoms  of  the 
island.  But  in  1596  Taicosama  inaugurated  the  era 
of  persecution.  It  was  this  first  general  persecution 
that  gave  the  martyrs'  palm  to  the  twenty-six  who 
died  on  the  cross  at  Nangasaki,  February  5,  1597. 
Their  death  was  followed  by  some  quiet,  and  accord- 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

ing  to  the  relations  of  the  missionaries  of  the  Society 
of  Jesus,  they  converted  and  baptized  no  less  than 
two  hundred  and  four  thousand  idolaters  in  the  next 
eight  years. 

After  Taicosama's  death,  Daifusama,  guardian  of 
Findeiori,  lawful  heir  of  the  crown,  seized  the  throne, 
and,  by  the  terror  of  his  arms,  reduced  all  the  Jap- 
anese princes.     At  first  this  emperor  showed  no  hos- 
tility to  the  Christians  ;  he  even  showed  them  favor ; 
but  when  he  beheld  himself  firmly  seated   on  the 
throne,  he  became  their  open  persecutor.     In  the  year 
1614,  after  banishing  from  his  court  the  Christian 
princes  and  lords  and  confiscating  their  property,  he 
pubhshed  an  edict,  throughout  all  Japan,  command- 
ing the  immediate  demolition  of  the  churches,  reli- 
gious houses,  hospitals  and  other  similar  institutions, 
as  well  as  the  destruction  by  fire  of  crosses,  pictures 
and  rehgious  books.     The  ministers  of  the  Gospel 
were  to  leave  the  country  by  a  specified  day ;  all  who 
professed  the  law  of  Christ  were  to  renounce  it  and 
return  to  the  w^orship  of  the  gods  of  the  country. 
Those  who  w^ere  obstinate  or  contumacious  were  to  be 
condemned,  without  remission,  to  lose  their  property 
and  life,  their  houses  to  be  demolished  and  their  fam- 
ilies destroyed.     The  same  penalty  w^as  extended  to 
all  who  harbored  priests  or  Christians,  and  even  to 
those  who  knew  of  their  place  of  concealment  but  did 
not  denounce  it.     Xongun  his  son,  and  Toxungun  his 
crandson,  who  in  turn  succeeded  him,  confirmed  these 
laws,  adding  others  of  still  greater  cruelty.  - 

The  persecution  lasted  more  than  thirty  years,  and 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

ended  in  the  almost  utter  ruin  of  this  flourishing 
church.  As  the  tyrants  invented  more  barbarous  tor- 
ments, the  faithful  displayed  greater  courage  in  endu- 
ring them.  It  was  a  common  thing  to  crush  a  martyr 
with  maces,  pierce  his  flesh  with  red  hot  irons,  hang 
him  on  a  cross,  cut  off  part  of  his  head.  The  execu- 
tioners added  incredible  refinements  of  barbarity. 
They  tore  with  pincers  the  skin,  limbs,  muscles  and 
nerves  of  the  martyr ;  his  flesh  was  cut  off  morsel  by 
morsel  with  dull  knives;  some  were  dipped  naked  in 
icy  waters,  others  burnt  for  two  or  three  hours  by  a 
slow  fire  ;  they  were  plunged  slowly  into  boiling  sul- 
phur springs,  which  made  their  flesh  one  ulcer,  and 
filled  it  with  worms  as  though  that  of  decaying 
corpses. 

In  spite  of  these  horrible  torments  the  Christians 
displayed  the  wonderful  spectacle  of  a  courage  supe- 
rior to  every  trial.  They  were  seen  preparing  for 
martyrdom,  esteeming  themselves  happy  to  sacrifice 
their  lives  for  the  law  of  Jesus  Christ.  Nor  was  it 
only  the  lower  walks  of  life,  the  robust  classes,  who 
gave  these  examples  of  intrepidity ;  they  were  found  in 
noblemen,  belonging  to  royal  families,  nurtured  amid 
the  ease  and  luxuries  of  life,  in  aged  women,  in  deli- 
cate girls,  and  even  in  children.  In  this  noble  career 
the  way  was  led  by  the  Catholic  missionaries,  minis- 
ters of  God,  preachers  of  the  Gospel,  come  from  Italy, 
Spain,  Portugal,  Mexico,  only  to  gain  souls  to  Christ 
and  close  untold  labors  by  this  painful  martyrdom. 
They  belonged  to  the  religious  orders  of  St.  Dominic, 
St.  Francis,  St.  Augustine  and  to  the  Society  of  Jesus. 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

Many  were  men  of  mark,  by  tlie  nobility  of  tlieir  race 
or  the  extent  of  their  learning,  and  especially  by  their 
heroic  virtue  and  the  laborious  exercise  of  their  apos- 
tleship.  All,  moreover,  religious  and  laymen,  natives 
of  Japan  or  of  other  lands,  Christians  of  more  or  less 
recent  date,  undeterred  by  the  sight  of  torments — on 
the  contrary  rushed  forward  to  them.  They  were  seen 
eagerly  enrolling  their  names  in  the  lists  of  the  con- 
demned, and  then  sure  of  dying  for  Christ,  they  don 
their  finest  dresses,  to  appear  with  joy  and  intrepidity 
before  their  judges,  answer  them  boldly,  thank  their 
executioners,  preach  fi'om  their  very  crosses,  and 
sing  amid  the  flames.  Mothers  were  seen  offering 
their  children  to  death  and  asking  greater  torments 
for  them.  These  wonders  were  evident  miracles  of 
divine  grace  like  those  wrought  by  God  on  the  mar- 
tyrs of  the  primitive  church,  in  confirmation  of  our 
faith.  Hence  ecclesiastical  historians  and  the  apolo- 
gists of  religion  unhesitatingly  adduce,  as  a  proof  of 
the  divinity  of  Catholicity,  the  constancy  of  the  Jap- 
anese martyrs. 

The  victims  of  the  persecution  numbered  many 
thousands.  Of  many,  precise  and  definite  accounts 
were  drawn  up  from  the  accounts  of  missionaries  from 
time  to  time,  from  the  statements  of  Japanese  exiles, 
and  from  the  testimony  of  Spanish  and  Portuguese 
merchants. 

Meanwhile  the  persecution  went  steadily  on,  and  in 
1639  all  Europeans,  except  the  Dutch,  were  excluded 
from  Japan,  even  for  trade,  and  Portuguese  ambassa- 
dors sent  to  the  island  were  beheaded.     In  1642  five 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

Jesuit  Fathers  landed  secretly,  but  were  soon  discov- 
ered and  put  to  death. 

The  last  known  entrance  of  a  missionary  was  that 
of  a  Sicilian  priest,  named  Sidotti,  who  landed  in  Oc- 
tober, 1709,  but  was  soon  arrested  and  taken  to  Yedo. 
After  remaining  in  prison  several  years  and  convert- 
ing many  who  came  to  him,  he  was  walled  up  in  a 
close  cell,  four  or  five  feet  deep,  and  fed  through  a 
small  aperture  till  he  died. 

Subsequent  efforts  were  equally  ineffectual.  To  all 
appearance  Christianity  was  crushed  completely  in 
Japan.  But  God  in  his  providence  had  not  allowed 
so  many  martyrs  to  die  in  vain.  They  had  preserved 
the  faith  of  thousands. 

The  following,  from  the  Annals  of  the  Propagation 
of  the  Faith,  will  give  the  best  idea  of  the  present 
state  of  the  Church  in  Japan  : 

II. 

One  of  the  last  acts  of  Gregory  XVI.  was  .the  erec- 
tion, in  1846,  of  Japan  and  the  archipelago  of  Lew 
Chew  into  a  vicariate-apostolic.  The  Eev.  Mgr. 
Augustus  Forcade,  of  the  Foreign  Missions,  who,  for 
tv/o  years,  had  been  estabHshed  at  Lew  Chew  as 
an  outpost,  was  charged  with  the  new  Mission.  With 
regard  to  the  state  of  religion  in  Japan  at  that  time, 
we  have  the  following  account  from  the  Yicar- Apos- 
tolic, dated  Macao,  January  25,  1847  :  "  Japan  still 
remains  inaccessible,  impenetrable  ;  as  of  old,  her 
kings  have  stood  up  and  her  princes  assembled 
against  the  Lord  and  his  Christ ;  the  present  differs 


12  INTRODUCTION, 

nothing  from  the  past,  and  were  a  Missioner  to 
attempt  to  enter  the  country,  there  is  no  doubt  he 
would  be  immediately  discovered,  and  at  once  struck 
down.  Considering  the  state  of  things,  therefore,  in 
a  human  point  of  view,  our  work  appears  simply  im- 
practicable. Nevertheless,  when  the  Sovereign  Pon- 
tiff, contrary  to  all  expectation,  decreed  the  re-estab- 
lishment of  the  Mission,  was  it  not,  in  reality,  the 
voice  of  Jesus  Christ  Himself,  declaring  by  his  Yicar, 
"  He  that  is  to  come,  will  come,  and  will  not  delay  ?" 
(Hebrews  x.  37.) 

Meanwhile  the  Missioners  took  up  their  station 
provisionally  in  the  great  island  of  Lew  Chew,  situ- 
ated at  the  gates  of  Japan,  and  inhabited  by  a  popu- 
lation Japanese  in  origin,  manners  and  language  : 
"  This  island,"  adds  Mgr.  Forcade,  "  is  a  sort  of  out- 
post for  us."  Several  years  passed  away  before  the 
Missioners  were  able  to  enter  Japan.  Mgr.  Forcade 
had  the  consolation  of  converting  and  baptizing,  in 
1850,  the  Japanese  who  had  taught  him  the  language. 
Two  years  later  he  was  obliged,  by  declining  health, 
to  return  to  France,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Libois,  the 
Procurator-General  for  Foreign  Missions  at  Hong- 
Kong,  found  himself  charged  with  the  care  of  the 
Mission. 

Further  measures  were  taken  in  the  course  of  the 
year  1853.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Collin,  a  Missioner  in 
Mandchooria,  was  named  Prefect-Apostolic  of  Japan. 
He  was  preparing  to  obey  the  mandate  of  the  Sove- 
reign Pontiff,  when  death  struck  him  rather  suddenly 
in  the  arms  of  Bishop  Yerrolles,  on  the  23d  of  May, 


INTRODUCTION.  Ic 

1854.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Libois,  Provisional-Superior  of 
the  Mission,  sent  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Girarcl,  Mermet 
and  Furet  to  Lew  Chew.  A  first  voyage,  under- 
taken by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Furet,  on  the  coast  of  Japan, 
was  unproductive  of  any  result.  In  the  month  of 
May  of  the  following  year  (1856),  the  same  Mission- 
er  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mounicou,  both  attached  as  in- 
terpreters to  two  French  frigates,  undertook  a  second 
voyage  to  the  northern  part  of  the  archipelago.  At 
Hakodadi  (island  of  Yeso),  they  made  several  excur- 
sions on  land,  but  the  police  followed  them  wherever 
they  went,  to  prevent  the  natives  holding  communi- 
cation with  them.  This  watch  was,  however,  baffled 
by  the  subaltern  officers  themselves,  who  took  advan- 
tage of  every  moment  they  were  safe  from  the  vigi- 
lance of  their  superiors,  to  exchange  a  few  words 
with  the  strangers  who  understood  and  spoke  their 
language.  Generally  the  people  seemed  well  dis- 
posed, but  were  under  the  influence  of  fear.  Similar 
dispositions  were  perceived  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Furet 
in  one  of  the  southern  islands.  The  two  Missioners 
were  obliged,  with  regret,  to  return  to  Nafa  (Lew 
Chew),  to  await,  in  prayer,  study,  and  resignation,  a 
more  favorable  opportunity. 

The  happy  moment  was  not  long  delayed.  Actu- 
ated, as  it  appeared,  by  merely  commercial  interest, 
but,  in  reality,  obejdng  the  dictates  of  Providence, 
Japan  broke  through  its  haughty  isolation.  Since 
the  year  1854,  signalized  by  some  concessions  grant- 
ed to  the  Dutch,  the  government  of  Yedo  has  en- 
tered successively  into  commercial  relations  with  the 
2 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

United  States  of  America,  England,  and  Eussia.     In 
1858  came  tlie  turn  of  France.     The  embassy,  wliicli 
was  to  conclude  the  first  treaty  of  Tien-Tsing,  arrived 
at  Yedo  on  the  25th  September.     One  of  the  Mis- 
sioners  of  Lew  Chew,  the  Eev.  Mr.  Mermet,  acted 
as  interpreter  to  the  Baron  Gros,  minister  plenipo- 
tentiary.    The  9th  of  September  following,  the  treaty 
was  signed.     By  its  provisions   the  three  ports  of 
Yokohama,  Nagasaki,  and  Hakodadi  were  opened  to 
French  traders,  and  liberty  of  worship  was  granted 
to  the  foreign  residents.     This  did  not  ensure  entire 
liberty,  since  the  priest  was  not  able  to  exercise  his 
ministry,  except  in  the  case  of  foreigners  ;  but  even 
half  toleration  was  looked  upon  as  affording  an  open- 
ing to  a  much  better  state  of  things.     The  Eev.  Mr. 
Gerard,  then  recently  appointed  Pro-Vicar-Apostolic 
of  Japan,  wrote  from   Hong  Kong  to  the  Central 
Councils  of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Faith    (November   28,  1858)  :    "  After   ten   years   of 
expectation  and  painful  uncertainty  regarding  the 
fate  of  a  Mission  always  especially  dear  to  us,  to  see 
its  gates  opening  themselves  to  us,  is  an  event  evi- 
dently due  to  the  direct  intervention  of  Providence. 
By  a  provision   of   the    treaty,  the    plenipotentiary 
has  a  right  to  travel  throughout  the  empire.     Our 
hope  is,  that  one  of  us  may  be  able  to  accompany 
him,  and  seek  out  the  remnants  of  the  ancient  flocks 
which  must  still  exist  in  Japan.     One  of  the  Euro- 
pean plenipotentiaries  has  told  the  Eev.  Mr.  Libois, 
that  he  has  heard  from  the  Japanese  interpreters 
that  there  are  Christians  living  in  the  mountains,  and 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

that  many  of  them  have  lately  been  put  to  death  on 
account  of  their  faith." 

The  recent  persecution  here  alluded  to  by  the 
Eev.  Mr.  Girard,  broke  out  in  1856  in  the  environs  of 
Nagasaki.  A  Christian,  living  in  a  village  which 
was  the  scene  of  the  persecution,  has  since  given  the 
following  details  to  the  Missioners  :  "  At  least  eighty 
Christians  were  arrested.  Their  relatives  and  friends 
went  in  crowds  to  the  palace  of  the  governor  of  Na- 
gasaki, thinking  that  the  prisoners  w^ould  be  restored 
to  them.  In  fact,  a  great  number  were  given  up, 
but  some  thirty  remained  prisoners.  What  hap- 
pened in  the  prison  ?  Ten  of  them  died  wdthin  its 
walls.  The  rest  being  set  at  Hberty  a  year  or  two 
after,  nearly  all  died  at  home  in  consequence  of  the 
bad  treatment  to  w^hich  they  had  been  subjected. 
They  w^ere  made  to  suffer  in  succession  hunger, 
thirst,  flogging,  dislocation  of  the  limbs.  Their  nails 
w^ere  torn  off,  and,  at  last,  they  were  almost  crushed 
to  death  under  the  weight  of  enormous  stones. 
The  bodies  of  those  who  had  expired  in  prison  were 
throw^n  into  the  place  in  which  criminals  were 
buried ;  but  at  night,  the  Christians  collected  their 
remains,  and  gave  them  honorable  buria  . 

The  treaty  of  1858  inaugurated  a  new  era  in  the 
history  of  the  Church  of  Japan.  The  Missioners  at 
once  began  to  take  active  measures.  The  Kev.  Mr. 
Girard  accompanied  to  Yedo  Mr.  Duchene  de  Belle- 
court,  consul-general  of  France,  and  was  presented 
by  him  to  the  local  authorities  as  interpreter  and 
Catholic  Priest.     In   his   double   capacity   of  inter- 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

preter  to  the  consulate  and  head  of  the  Mission,  he 
was  obliged  to  repair  alternately  to  Yedo  and  Yoko- 
hama, a  small  town,  only  a  few  miles  from  the  capi- 
tal. He  had  with  him  at  Yokohama  one  of  his 
brother  Priests,  the  Eev.  Mr.  Mounicou.  The  two 
Missioners  built  a  chapel,  which  they  solemnly 
blessed  on  the  12th  January,  1861,  in  the  midst  of  a 
numerous  assembly  of  residents  of  all  countries  and 
creeds. 

This  was  the  first  Catholic  Church  opened  in 
Japan  for  more  than  two  centuries ;  consequently,  it 
became  an  object  of  interest  to  curious  visitors,  and 
the  Japanese  resorted  thither,  not  only  from  Yoko- 
hama, Kanagaoura,  Yedo,  and  the  environs,  but  even 
from  the  farthest  provinces.  "These  visits,"  wrote 
the  Eev.  Mr.  Girard,  "were  no  doubt  due,  in  the 
first  instance,  to  curiosity ;  nevertheless,  they  sup- 
plied us  with  an  occasion  of  announcing  Jesus  Christ 
and  his  Gospel  to  a  multitude  of  people,  who  listened 
to  us  with  the  greatest  interest.  For  the  last  month 
the  church  has  never  been  empty  from  morning  till 
night,  and  each  day  we  explain,  with  the  aid  of  the 
pictures  which  adorn  it,  the  abridgment  of  our  holy 
religion  to  hundreds  of  persons.  We  have  been  told 
that  our  church  had,  in  the  beginning,  so  struck  the 
Japanese,  that  a  drawing  of  it  had  appeared  in  the 
capital,  from  which  several  copies  were  taken." 

The  government  being  alarmed  at  this  concourse 
of  its  subjects,  published  a  severe  prohibition  against 
their  visiting  the  chapel.  "  The  police  keep  a  sharp 
look  out  on  us,"  wrote  the  Eev.  Mr.  Mounicou  (De- 


INTRODUCTIOX.  17 

cember  6th,  1861),  "  watching  our  every  step.  Our 
servants  are  taken  from  us  after  they  have  been  a 
few  months  in  our  service,  and  we  learn,  from  a 
trustworthy  source,  that  two  persons  have  been  sent 
to  the  prisons  of  Yeclo  for  having  sold  us  two  books 
without  special  authorization  from  their  masters." 

There  were  still  to  be  seen  at  Yedo,  and  in  the 
surrounding  country,  stone  columns,  on  which  were 
inscribed  the  penal  edicts  ;  the  cross  was  represented 
on  them,  and  underneath  was  written  a  death-war- 
rant against  whomsoever  should  pay  the  least  marks 
of  respect  to  that  symbol. 

The,  Japanese  embassy  having  visited  the  coun- 
tries of  Europe  in  1862,  hopes  were  raised  in  conse- 
quence that  Japan  would  henceforth  grant  free  ad- 
mission to  the  Catholic  Missioners  and  Christian 
civilization.  But  tb's  hope  was  soon  extinguished. 
Emboldened  by  the  concessions  granted  by  the 
courts  of  Europe  to  their  ambassadors,  the  govern- 
ment of  Yedo  appeared  disposed  to  maintain,  with 
more  tenacity  than  ever,  their  policy  of  exclusion. 
"  They  say,"  observed  one  of  the  Missioners,  "that 
the  authorities  are  sorry  for  having  concluded  the 
treaties,  and  that  thej  would  like  to  send  away  the 
strangers,  or,  at  least,  confine  them  to  the  ports  open 
t  )  traders  as  had  formeily  been  done  with  the 
Dutch  in  the  islet  of  Desima.  In  order  to  compass 
this  end,  they  never  ceased  demanding  one  conces- 
sion after  another  from  the  representatives  of  foreign 
nations,  while  the  condescension  which  they  too 
often  met  with  rendered  them  every  day  more  and 


18  INTRODUCTION. 

more  exacting."  "Would  you  believe  it,"  observed 
another  Missioner,  "  that  the  governor  of  Yokohama 
has  requested  Mr.  Dury,  our  consul,  to  have  the 
three  Chinese  characters,  inscribed  on  the  front  of 
our  chapel  removed,  under  the  pretence  that  the 
Europeans,  for  whom  it  was  built,  do  not  read  Chi- 
nese ?  Our  ministry  would  not  be  unfruitful,  were  it 
not  that  an  iron  arm  restrains  the  tendency  of  the 
multitude  to  embrace  the  truth.  The  people  thirst 
for  the  truth  all  the  more  ardently,  because  the  innu- 
merable sects  here  leave  them  in  dire  uncertaintj 
concerning  the  dogmatic  questions  it  is  most  impor- 
tant for  man  to  know.  In  the  sea  of  errors  which 
surrounds  them,  the  Japanese  seize  with  eagerness 
the  plank  of  salvation  when  they  catch  a  glimpse  of 
it.  If  they  had  only  their  liberty,  they  would  be 
converted  by  thousands."  "The  Japanese,"  wrote, 
on  his  side,  the  Eev.  Mr.  Girard,  "  long  for  the  day 
when,  better  informed  of  our  object  and  the  benelits 
we  bring  with  us,  the  government  will  no  longer 
force  its  subjects  to  keep  away  from  us  by  terrible 
threats.  'When,'  say  they,  'the  present  difficulties 
are  removed,  and  relations  between  our  country  and 
foreign  governments  are  established  on  more  solid 
bases,  we  v/ill  ask  France  to  send  us  a  great  num- 
ber of  the  masters  whose  instruction  we  have  already 
received  ;  we  wish  to  adore  the  God  they  worship, 
and  to  do  so  in  the  way  they  will  teach  us.' "  Not- 
withstanding the  prohibition  concerning  the  church 
of  Yokohama,  many  of  the  Japanese  continued  to 
visit  it. 


INTRODUCTION.  19. 

There  were  no  grounds  for  hoping  that  complete 
religious  toleration  would  be  gained  ;  but  trusting  in 
Him  who  is  master  of  all  events,  the  Missioners  pre- 
pared the  way   for  future   and   much-desired   occa- 
sions.    Tlie  oratory  of  Nagasaki  was  insufficient  for 
its  purpose,  and  they  entertained  the  project   of  re- 
placing it  by  a  church.     Thanks  to  an  offering  from 
the  empress  of  the  French  and  a  subscription  got  up 
among  the  foreign  residents,  the  works  were  begun 
in  1863.    A  handsome  donation  from  Admiral  Jaures, 
and  the  fees  for  a  French  class  at  the  Japanese  col- 
lege, helped  the  Kev.  Messrs.  Furet  and  Petitjean  to 
meet  all  expenses  ;  and,  in  less  than  two  years,  the 
church  of  St.  Peter  Baptist  and  his  Companions  was 
finished.     Elsewhere   we   have   related   the   circum- 
stances attending  the  completion  and  blessing  of  the 
new   church.     "This   church,"  wrote   the   Eev.  Mr. 
Petitjean,    "  excited   general   admiration.      The   gilt 
crosses  of  its  three  steeples  glitter  within  sight  of 
Nagasaki.     Old   folks  and  young,  men  and  women, 
soldiers  and  civilians,  make  it  a  party  of  pleasure  to 
come  and  see  the  French  church  as  they  call  it.    The 
children  of  the  city  make  drawings  of  it  in  charcoal 
on  the  walls  and  on  the  pavement  of  the  public  road. 
The  old  people  recall  the  history  of  the  past  in  re- 
gard to   the   Christians  and   their  temples.     I  was 
informed  lately  of  the  site  of  the  former  churches  of 
Nagasaki.     In  the  course  of  a  pilgrimage  which  we 
made   to   the   holy   mountain  some   years   since,    a 
pagan  told  us  that   a   pagoda,    which  we   had  just 
passed,  was  form.erly  a  Christian  temple." 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

The  new  cliurch  of  Nagasaki  attracted  an  extraor- 
dinary concourse  of  visitors,  but  the  Missi oners  were 
far,  indeed,  from  thinking  that  it  should  be  the 
means  used  by  Providence  for  discovering  the  Japa- 
nese congregations.  This  important  fact  requires  to 
be  related  with  some  details. 

The  first  Christians  who  made  themselves  known 
belonged  to  a  village  not  far  from  the  city,  and  in- 
habited by  thirteen  hundred  of  the  faithful.  This 
took  place  on  Friday,  the  17th  March,  1865.  We 
must  here  allow  one  of  the  Missioners,  namely,  the 
Eev.  Mr.  Petitjean,  to  relate  what  follows :  "  About 
half-past  twelve  o'clock,  some  fifteen  persons  came  to 
the  door  of  the  church.  Directed  no  doubt  by  my 
good  angel,  I  went  up  to  them  and  opened  the  door. 
I  had  hardly  time  to  recite  a  Pater  when  three 
women,  from  fifty  to  sixty  years  of  age,  knelt  down 
beside  me,  and  said  to  me  in  a  low  tone,  laying  their 
hands  on  their  breasts  :  '  In  our  hearts,  all  we  who 
are  present  are  the  same  as  you.'  *  Can  that  be  pos- 
sible?' Where,  then,  do  you  come  from?'  They 
mentioned  their  village,  and  added  :  'At  home,  nearly 
every  one  thinks  as  we  do.'  Praise  be  to  Thy  name, 
O  Lord,  for  the  joy  that  filled  my  soul  at  that  mo- 
ment. What  a  compensation  that  was  for  five  years* 
sterile  ministry !  Hardly  had  the  poor  Japanese  dis- 
covered themselves  to  me,  when  they  became  confi- 
dential in  a  way  that  contrasted  strangely  with  the 
habits  of  their  pagan  countrymen.  I  had  to  satisfy 
all  their  questions,  and  speak  to  them  of  0  Deons 
Sama,  0  Yaso  Samay  Santa  Maria  Sama,  names  by 


i:;troduction.  2J 

which  tliey  designated  God,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  the  Blessed  Virgin.'  The  sight  of  Our  Lady 
with  the  Infant  Jesus  reminded  them  of  the  festival 
of  Christmas,  which  they  celebrated  in  the  eleventh 
month,  they  told  me.  They  asked  me  were  we  not 
now  at  the  seventeenth  day  of  the  mournful  season 
(Lent).  Neither  was  St.  Joseph  unknown  to  them  ; 
they  called  him  the  adopted  father  of  Our  Lord :  0 
Yaso  Samano  yo  fou.  While  questions  were  being 
asked  me  on  all  sides,  the  sound  of  approaching  foot- 
steps was  heard.  There  was  a  general  dispersion  at 
once.  But  the  moment  the  newcomers  were  descried, 
all  returned  laughing  at  the  fright  they  had  been  in. 
'  These  are  people  of  our  own  village.  They  are  of 
the  same  mind  as  ourselves.'  However,  we  had  in 
the  end  to  separate,  lest  suspicion  might  be  excited 
on  the  part  of  the  officers,  whose  visit  I  dreaded." 

On  Holy  Thursday  and  Good  Friday,  the  13th  and 
14th  of  April,  fifteen  hundred  persons  visited  the 
church  of  Nagasaki ;  the  Missioners'  dwelling  was 
literally  invaded ;  the  Christians  took  advantage  of 
the  opportunity  to  satisfy  their  devotion  in  secret 
before  the  crucifixes  and  statues  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin. In  the  early  days  of  May,  the  Missioners  heard 
of  the  existence  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  Chris- 
tians dispersed  in  the  country  round  Nagasaki.  On 
the  10th,  the  Christians  flocked  in  such  numbers 
that,  to  avoid  the  danger  of  being  recognized  by  the 
satellites,  the  chnrch  had  to  be  closed  during  a  part 
of  the  day. 

*  In  Japanese  t'le  word  aama  signifies  king,  sovereign. 


22  TNTEODUCTION. 

"  On  the  15tli  of  May,"  wrote  the  Eev.  Mr.  Petit- 
jean,  "  deputies  arrived  from  an  island  not  far  dis- 
tant. After  a  short  interview  we  sent  them  away, 
detaining  only  the  catechist  and  the  chief  of  the  pious 
caravan.  The  catechist,  whose  name  was  Peter,  gave 
us  the  most  valuable  information.  In  the  first  place, 
we  may  remark  that  his  form  of  baptism  differs  in  no 
respect  from  ours,  and  that  he  pronounced  it  very 
distinctly.  There  are  still,  he  assured  us,  a  great 
number  of  Christians  in  Japan,  a  few  in  every  part. 
One  district  he  particularly  indicated,  in  which  are 
grouped  together  more  than  a  thousand  families. 
He  wished  to  hear  from  us  about  the  Great  Chief  of 
the  kingdom  of  Rome.  When  we  assured  him  that 
the  august  Yicar  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  saintly  Pius  IX, 
would  be  very  happy  to  hear  the  consoling  intelli- 
gence that  he  and  his  Christian  countrymen  had  just 
given  us,  Peter's  delight  was  unbounded ;  and  yet, 
for  all  that,  he  was  careful  before  leaving  us  to  satisfy 
himself  that  we  really  were  the  successors  of  the  old 
Missioners.  *  Have  you  no  children  ?'  he  timidly  in- 
quired. '  You,  and  all  your  Christians  and  pagan 
countrymen,  are  the  children  the  good  God  has  given 
us.  As  for  other  children,  we  cannot  have  any  ;  the 
Priests,  like  your  ancient  Missioners,  keep  celibacy 
all  their  life.'  On  receiving  this  answer,  Peter  and 
his  companion,  bending  their  foreheads  to  the  ground, 
exclaimed,  '  They  are  virgins.     Thanks  !  thanks  !'  " 

Next  day,  an  entire  Christian  village  came  to  visit 
the  Missioners,  and  two  days  later,  six  hundred  other 
Christians  sent  to  Nagasaki  a  deputation  of  twenty 


IXTRODUCTIOX.  23 

persons.  On  the  8tli  of  June,  twenty  Christian  con- 
gregations were  known  to  the  Missioners,  and  seven 
baptizers  were  placed  in  direct  relation  with  them. 
"  Our  flock  in  distant  districts,"  wrote  the  Kev.  Mr. 
Petitjean,  "throw  us  into  despondency,  and  over- 
whelm us  with  joy  at  the  same  time,  by  theu^  too 
great  number  and  their  fihal  dependence.  Some  of 
them  come  from  twenty  to  thirty  leagues,  in  boats  or 
on  foot,  to  visit  the  church,  have  an  interview  with 
us,  and  ask  for  crosses  and  medals.  We  continue,  as 
often  as  possible,  our  nocturnal  reunions.  Our  Lord 
has  disciples  even  in  Nagasaki."  And  on  the  11th  of 
June,  we  find  the  following  entry  in  the  journal  of 
the  Mission  :  "  Visit  during  the  night  of  three  bap- 
tizers, who  have  all  preserved  the  sacramental  form 
unaltered.  They  tell  us  that,  in  their  town  and  the 
neighboring  one,  there  are  seven  or  eight  thousand 
Christians.  The  three  visitors  are  well  instructed. 
One  of  them  begged  us  to  give  him  a  rosary,  and 
then  asked  for  a  discipline  to  scourge  himself  when 
he  prays  God  to  pardon  him  his  sins." 

Day  after  day  deputations  continued  to  succeed 
one  another.  The  police  began  to  be  on  the  alert, 
and  the  Japanese  were  forbidden  to  visit  the  church. 
However,  the  results  of  the  prohibition  were  not  so 
grievous  as  might  have  been  apprehended. 

Some  extracts  from  the  journal  of  the  Eev.  Mr. 
Petitjean  will  still  farther  show  the.  relations  estab- 
hshed  between  the  Christians  and  the  Missioners  : 

"  31st  July,  1865.— A  catechist  presented  himself 
at  noon-day  to  make  inquiries  concerning  the  accu- 


24  INTRODUCTIOX. 

racy  of  the  prayers  contained  in  a  book  wliicli  some 
weeks  before  lie  had  placed  in  my  hands.  He  like- 
wise brought  me  another  for  examination.  With  the 
exception  of  some  faults  of  pronunciation  and  mis- 
takes in  copying,  these  prayers  are  a  literal  transla- 
tion of  the  Sign  of  the  Cross,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the 
Angelical  Salutation,  the  Apostles'  Creed,  the  Confi- 
teor,  the  Act  of  Contrition,  Meditations  on  the  Mys- 
teries of  the  Eosary,  etc. 

"  16th  August. — Peter,  the  baptizer,  the  same  who 
first  revealed  to  us  the  devotion  of  our  Christians  for 
the  Kosary,  came  to  us  at  night  with  two  companions. 
They  wanted  to  get  instruction  on  the  manner  of  as- 
sisting the  dying,  and  they  gave  us  details  of  numer- 
ous congregations,  whose  existence  was  quite  un- 
known to  us. 

"  30th  August. — Clara  and  Marina,  each  the  mother 
of  a  family,  whom  we  had  already  seen  in  the  church, 
told  us,  after  having  assisted  at  Mass,  that  the  in- 
habitants of  their  hamlet  would  be  happy  to  receive 
the  visits  of  the  Missioners  on  the  feast  of  one  of 
their  patron  saints.  The  Feast  of  St.  Clare,  the  first 
patron  of  the  hamlet,  being  past,  they  would  wish  to 
have  us  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Thecla.  I  observed  to 
them  that  it  would  be  difficult  for  us  just  at  present 
to  comply  with  their  desire,  on  account  of  the  danger 
to  which  we  should  expose  the  faithful.  Formerly, 
there  was  in  this  village  a  fine  church,  under  the  in- 
vocation of  St.  Clare,  some  vestiges  of  which  remain 
to  the  present  day. 

"  During  the  night  of  the  eame  day  a  catechist 


INTEODUCTION  25 

bronglit  ns  a  man  "whom  lie  was  teacliing  to  be  a 
baptizer.  Tliey  each  asked  lis  for  beads,  crucifixes, 
and  pictures  of  St.  Michael.  It  may  be  mentioned 
that,  out  of  every  ten  Christians,  five  bear  the  name 
of  Migherou  (Michael),  and  that  St.  Michael  is  uni- 
versally regarded  as  one  of  the  patrons  of  the  em- 
pire. 

"  Many  of  our  Christians  preserve  among  them, 
with  religious  veneration,  in  order  to  transmit  them 
to  their  descendants  as  they  had  received  them  from 
their  forefathers,  statues,  pictures  of  Oar  Lord,  the 
Blessed  Yirgin,  and  the  Saints.  We  are  convinced 
that  these  objects  of  devotion  have  greatly  contribu- 
te 1  to  perpetuate  among  them  the  spirit  of  faith  and 
the  practice  of  the  Christian  virtues. 

"  September  17th. — During  the  last  fifteen  da}' s  we 
have  received  several  visits  from  cur  Christians. 
Some  of  them  came  from  a  distance  of  forty  or  fifty 
leagues." 

About  the  same  time,  the  Missioners  received  a 
well-authenticated  account  of  a  village,  the  entire 
population  of  v/hich,  amounting  to  two  thousand,  pro- 
fess (  hristianity.  Wonderful  to  relate,  they  h  1  an 
almost  perfect  knowledge  ol  our  mysteries,  of  the 
decalogue  and  sacraments,  of  prayer,  the  honor  paid 
to  the  Blesse  1  Virgin,  the  Angels  and  Saints.  They 
led  a  life  of  penance,  making  frequent  acts  of  contri- 
tion, especially  at  the  hour  of  death.  ^  There  was  not 
a  single  book  in  the  entire  village,  and  yet  the  in- 
habitants, for  the  most  part,  knew  by  heart  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  tlie  Angelic  1  Salutation,  the  Apostles'  Creed, 


26  introductions". 

the  Covfiteor,  the  Salve  Begrna,  etc.  Several  recited 
a  treatise  on  contrition.  One  family  possessed  a  pic- 
ture representing  the  fifteen  Mysteries  of  the  Rosary. 
The  people  of  the  village  and  vicinity  were  in  the 
habit  of  coming  to  venerate  this  picture,  which  they 
believed  to  have  belonged  to  the  first  Missioners. 

We  may  pause  here  to  remark  the  care  which  the 
first  apostles  of  Japan,  and  their  immediate  succes- 
sors, took  on  the  approach  of  the  Dutch  Protestants, 
to  inculcate  on  the  minds  of  the  faithful  the  three 
points  of  Catholic  teaching  most  opposed  to  the  new 
errors  :  the  primacy  of  the  Holy  See,  the  celibacy  of 
the  clergy,  and  the  honor  joaid  to  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
These  were,  in  fact,  the  first  three  points  about  which 
they  questioned  the  Missioners,  and  the  signs  by 
which  the  Japanese  Christians  recognized  them  as 
their  lawful  pastors. 

"  I  have  been  told  by  the  chiefs  of  the  same  parish," 
wrote  the  Eev.  Mr.  Petitjean,  ''  that  in  their  village, 
and  a  good  many  others,  there  has  been  no  trampling 
on  the  cross  for  a  long  time.  This  exemption  is  due 
to  the  local  princes,  who  are  not  sorry  in  this  way  to 
show  they  can  act  independently  of  the  court  of  Yedo. 
The  same  individuals  have,  moreover,  told  me  that 
the  Christian  ofiicers  often  substituted  pictures  of  the 
god  Schaka  for  those  of  Jesus  Christ  and  His  holy 
Mother,  that  the  people  might  trample  on  them  when 
that  revolting  practice  was  in  vogue  ;  a  practice  hap- 
pily abolished  altogether  since  the  arrival  of  the 
Europeans  in  Japan. 

"  Among  the  numerous  questions  I  have  been  re- 


INTRODUCTION.  27 

quired  to  answer,  I  may  particularize  the  following : 
*  Your  kingdom  and  that  of  Kome,  are  they  of  the 
one  mind  ?'  '  Have  you  been  sent  by  the  great  chief 
of  the  kingdom  of  Eome  ?'  '  Will  others  soon  come 
to  join  you  ?'  On  receiving  answers  in  the  affirma- 
tive, they  seemed  greatly  pleased.  They  were  most 
anxious  to  know  the  Holy  Father's  name  and  his 
age.  Also  they  wished  to  know  who  had  come  to 
our  aid,  and  enabled  us  to  build  the  fine  church  at 
Nagasaki.  This  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  telling 
them  of  the  Work  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith. 
'  But  why,'  they  would  ask  me,  *  will  you  not  receive 
our  poor  offerings,  when  you  accept  those  of  your 
friends  in  other  countries?'  Prudence  generally 
makes  us  refuse  their  gifts,  lest  we  might  furnish  the 
government  with  a  pretext  for  dealing  harshly  with 
us  or  with  them.  Having  explained  our  motive,  they 
appeared  to  be  satisfied.  I  added,  that  if,  in  time  to 
come,  we  should  want  money  to  build  chapels  and 
undertake  other  works,  we  would  take  advantage  of 
their  good  will." 

In  spite  of  the  prudence  of  the  Missioners  in  their 
communications  with  the  congregations  so  wondrously 
discovered,  the  newspapers,  owing  to  an  indiscretion 
which  it  is  needless  to  dwell  upon,  got  wind  of  the 
discovery  and  published  the  news,  without,  however, 
giving  details  or  commentaries.  Now,  the  Kev.  Mr. 
Petitjean  wrote  afterwards  as  follows,  January  29, 
1866  :  "  The  half-publicity  given  to  our  discoveries 
by  the  European  press,  obliges  us  to  strict  silence. 
To  avoid  exciting  the  hostility  of  the  government,  we 


28  INTRODUCTION. 

make  ourselves  as  insignificant  as  we  can,  meet  our 
catecliists  as  seldom  as  possible,  and  refrain  from 
doing  anything  calculated  to  compromise  the  Mis- 
sion." 

In  the  course  of  the  year  1866,  two  incidents  put 
the  Missioners  of  Nagasaki  on  their  guard.  A  boat, 
on  board  which  were  a  number  of  Christians,  was 
stopped ;  the  latter  were  sent  to  prison,  so  as  to  force 
them  to  discover  the  name  of  their  village.  Some 
time  after,  a  Japanese  officer  summoned  before  him 
the  chiefs  of  another  Christian  village,  and  advised 
them  not  to  go  "  to  the  European  honzery,''  lest  they 
might  get  themselves  into  great  trouble.  These  in- 
cidents served  for  a  warning,  and  indicated  the  possi- 
bility^ of  an  approaching  persecution.  The  Christians, 
however,  were  no  way  affected ;  even  the  children 
asked  to  receive  confirmation,  that  they  might  be 
streno-thened  to  confess  the  Faith. 

Meanwhile,  a  new  pledge  of  hope  was  vouchsafed 
to  the  Church  of  Japan.  The  Holy  Father  appointed 
as  Yicar-Apostolic  the  Kev.  Mr.  Petitjean,  who  was 
consecrated  at  Hong-Kong  on  the  21st  October,  1866, 
by  Mgr.  Guillemin,  Prefect-Apostolic  of  Kouang- 
Tong. 

.  On  the  26th  December  following,  the  new  Bishop 
wrote  :  "  The  number  of  our  flock  preparing  for  com- 
munion daily  increases.  In  fact,  up  to  this,  we  have 
thought  it  well  to  try  the  fidelity  of  our  Christians  by 
delaying  their  admission  to  the  Holy  Table.  The 
apostolic  zeal  of  our  catechists  is  more  than  ever  ac- 
tively manifested.     One   of  them  is  about  to  turn 


INTRODUCTION.  29 

hawker  for  tlie  purpose  of  discovering  sucli  Chris- 
tians as  have  not  yet  shown  themselves.  He  will  be 
accompanied  by  a  pagan  friend,  who  is  anxiously 
asking  to  be  baptized." 

*'  On  the  4th  and  6th  February,"  Ave  read  in  an- 
other letter  from  Bishop  Petitjean,  "  we  confirmed 
during  the  night  more  than  eighty  Christians,  who 
had  been  preparing  for  the  sacrament  since  Christ- 
mas. They  had,  at  the  same  time,  the  happiness  of 
receiving  their  First  Communion." 

III. 

Up  to  that  time,  notwithstanding  that  some  appre- 
hensions were  excited,  the  peace  of  the  Mission  re- 
mained undisturbed.  It  was  the  will  of  God,  no 
doubt,  that  the  revivified  Church  should  have  its  faith 
strenGfthened  before  new  trials  assailed  it. 

The  Missioners,  in  fact,  foresaw  that  the  day  would 
come,  when,  on  the  refusal  of  the  Christians  to  re- 
ceive the  ministrj^  of  the  bonzes  at  the  funerals  of 
their  relatives,  the  mandarins  would  certainly  inter- 
fere. The  day  came  at  last.  One  of  the  Christians 
having  died,  his  relatives  came  in  all  haste  to  the 
Missioners,  to  know  whether  they  could  allow  the 
bonze  to  perform  the  usual  ceremonies  over  the  body 
of  the  departed.  As  soon  as  the  doctrine  of  the 
Church  was  explained  to  them,  they  gave  notice  of 
the  death  to  the  choya  or  civil  magistrate,  without 
troublinc:  themselves  about  the  bonzes.  The  latter 
denounced  the  Christians  at  once  as  infringers  of  the 
law,   and  the  choya  threatened  to  bring  the  affair 


30  INTRODUCTION. 

under  the  notice  of  the  governor  of  Nagasaki.  The 
situation  of  affairs  became  complicated  by  the  oc- 
currence of  another  death,  as  we  shall  see  by  ex- 
tracts from  the  correspondence  of  the  Eev.  Mr.  Arm- 
bruster,  Missioner  at  Nagasaki. 

"  16th  April,  1867. — A  deputation  came  to  us  from 
Ourakami.  A  Christian  woman  had  just  died.  The 
choya  having  been  informed  of  the  fact,  gave  a  ticket 
for  the  bonze,  but  the  relatives  said  they  did  not  re- 
quire the  services  of  that  functionary.  The  clioj^a 
insisted,  threatened  to  denounce  them  to  the  govern- 
ment, referred  to  the  last  persecution,  and  the  possi- 
bility of  its  recurrence,  and  advised  them  to  consider 
the  matter.  Our  good  Christians  did  not  hesitate  a 
moment  between  the  fear  of  persecution  and  the  sense 
of  duty ;  they  did  what  was  right,  even  at  the  risk  of 
their  life. 

"  17th  April. — Another  deputation.  Several  Chris- 
tian villages  of  the  valley  assembled  under  the  presi- 
dency of  their  mayors,  and  came  to  the  resolution  of 
sending  a  deputation  to  the  choya.  The  deputies 
are  to  declare  that  they  are  faithful  subjects  of  the 
Japanese  government,  that  they  will  always  be  found 
obedient  to  the  officers  of  the  State,  but  that  they 
strongly  desire  to  have  no  communication  whatever 
with  the  bonzes. 

"18th  April. — The  choya  gave  a  favorable  recep- 
tion to  the  deputation,  expressing  at  the  same  time 
his  apprehensions,  and  the  serious  pain  the  affair 
caused  him.  The  deputies  understood  that  the  choya 
was  afraid  of  losing  his  situation.     Actuated  by  a 


INTRODUCTION.  31 

feeling  of  tlie  noblest  charity,  tliey  made  him  the 
following  reply :  '  We  greatly  regret  the  annoyance 
you  feel  on  the  occasion,  but  do  not  be  nneasy.  If, 
on  our  account,  you  lose  your  place,  we  pledge  our- 
selves that  we  will  continue  to  pay  your  annual 
salary.'  The  magistrate  was  touched  by  such  a  pro- 
posal. 'Give  me,'  he  said,  'a  list  of  all  the  families 
who  do  not  want  to  have  any  thing  to  do  with  the 
bonzes,  and  I  will  present  it  myself  to  the  governor.' 
Then  turning  the  conversation  on  religious  matters, 
he  gave  expression  to  his  esteem  for  a  doctrine 
v>diich  was  capable  of  inspiring  such  generous  senti- 
ments. 

"  On  all  sides,  the  Christian  families  got  their  names 
inscribed  on  the  lists.  At  St.  Clare,  there  were  more 
than  one  hundred ;  at  St.  Francis  Xavier,  more  than 
two  hundred.  One  thing  was  certain,  namely,  that 
henceforth  the  choya,  and  through  him  the  governor 
of  Nagasaki,  would  be  aware  of  our  relations  with  the 
Christians. 

"  One  of  the  sons  of  the  deceased  woman  of  Oura- 
kami  has  informed  the  bishop  that  he  and  his  brother- 
in-law  have  been  summoned  before  the  daicouan  (j)re- 
fect  of  police),  at  Nagasaki.  What  will  be  the  conse- 
quence of  this  ?  '  I  expect,'  he  continued,  '  to  be  put 
in  prison,  and  perhaps  beheaded,  but  I  don't  care.' 
Certainly  this  Christian  and  his  brother-in-law,  quiet, 
humble,  God-fearing  men,  have  shown  great  courage. 
The  choya  advised  them  to  go  accompanied  by  some 
deputies  from  the  village,  and  to  take  advantage  of 
the  circumstance  to  ask  the  daicouan  for  the  permis- 


32  INTRODUCTION". 

sion  tliey  desired.  The  inhabitants  of  the  village 
vied  with  one  another  for  the  honor  of  accompanying 
them. 

"  20th  April.-  -The  deputies  and  the  sons  of  the  de- 
parted received  Holy  Communion  at  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  Afterwards  they  repaired  to  the  house 
of  the  daicouan  ;  the  choya  of  the  valley,  his  principal 
officers,  and  the  mayor  of  the  village  escorted  them. 
According  to  the  Japanese  custom,  the  deputies  were 
all  old  men.  One  of  our  most  zealous  catechists, 
Dominic,  fearing  that  they  might  be  intimidated, 
managed  to  be  sent  with  them.  The  deputies  were 
twenty  in  number ;  the  choya  would  not  venture  to 
introduce  more  than  five  to  the  daicouan ;  Dominic 
was  among  the  number.  About  eight  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  Dominic  came  to  tell  us  what  had  taken 
place  :  '  Early  in  the  morning,'  he  reported,  '  we  were 
brought  to  the  daicouan's  court ;  but  the  examination 
did  not  take  place  till  noon.  The  daicouan,  accom- 
panied by  all  his  officers,  then  entered  the  hall.  Ad- 
dressing, in  the  first  instance,  the  sons  of  the  departed, 
he  said  :  '  You  have  buried  your  mother  without 
giving  notice  to  the  choya  or  the  bonze.'  '  I  informed 
the  choya,'  replied  one  of  them,  '  bijt  it  is  quite  true  I 
did  not  send  word  to  the  bonze.'  'And  what  was 
your  motive  for  not  calling  in  the  bonze  ?  You  know 
the  law,  of  course.'  I  then  undertook  to  speak  :  'We 
do  not  like  the  bonzes  ;  and  this  feeling  v/e  inherit 
from  our  ancestors.'  '  Why  do  you  not  like  them  ?' 
'  We  do  not  believe  in  their  doctrine.'  '  But  for  all 
that,  you  must  conform  to  the  customs  of  Japan,  and 


INTKODUCTION.  33 

call  in  the  bonzes.'  '  "We  are  the  emperor's  subjects, 
disposed  to  obey  him  in  all  things.  Oiir  way  obliges 
us,  even  as  a  duty,  to  do  so.'  But  we  cannot  call  in 
the  bonzes  ;  it  is  contrary  to  our  way,  and  you  could 
not  oblige  us  to  do  so.  '  What,  then,  is  the  way  that 
you  follow  ?'  *  The  way  we  have  learnt  from  our  an- 
cestors ;  it  makes  us  content  in  this  life,  and  secures 
us  perfect  happiness  in  the  next.'  The  daicouan  lis- 
tened with  interest  to  my  replies,  and  asked  for  ex- 
planations of  the  Christian  doctrine.  I  excused  my- 
self, while  at  the  same  time  ansv/ering  a  great  number 
of  questions.  At  last  I  said  to  him  :  *  I  am  only  a 
poor  laboring  man,  and  know  no  more  than  is  neces- 
sary for  me  to  know.  But  have  the  goodness  to  go  to 
our  masters  the  French  Priests  :  they  will  explain  to 
you  the  way  we  follow  ;  it  is  the  same  that  they  teach, 
and  that  we  have  inherited  from  our  ancestors.' 

"An  officer  took  down  all  my  answers.  The  dai- 
couan showed  us  marked  kindness  throughout ;  in 
conclusion,  he  said  the  matter  should  be  submitted  to 
the  governors.  "We  then  left ;  but  as  soon  as  the 
governors  had  arrived,  we  were  summoned  again. 
The  first  governor  asked  the  accused,  '  why  he  had 
buried  his  mother  without  complying  with  the  legal 
formalities  ?'  He  gave  the  same  answer  he  had  given 
the  daicouan.  The  governor  was  angry.  '  The  em- 
peror requires  you  to  call  in  the  bonzes,'  he  said,  '  and 


'  In  Japan  tlie  word  icay  means  religion,  doctrine  ;  thus,  sintoism, 
or  religion  of  spirits,  literally  signifies  loay  of  spirits  (Sin-to) ;  the 
dfictrine  of  Confucius  means  icay  jf  letters  (Syou-to). 


34:  INTRODUCTION. 

conform  to  their  way.  You  are  only  poor  laborers, 
and  ought  to  think  of  nothing  but  tilling  your  ground, 
taking  care  of  your  relatives,  bringing  up  your  family, 
and  minding  your  health.' 

"  The  old  men,  deeply  affected,  maintained  a  pro- 
found silence.  I  ventured  to  say:  'We  do  not  call 
in  the  bonzes  because  we  do  not  believe  in  them.' 
*  "What !  you  are  the  youngest,  and  you  dare  to  speak 
when  the  old  men  keep  silent !'  The  governor  began 
to  use  harsh  language.  I  made  signs  to  the  old  men 
to  speak ;  but  they  were  so  upset  that  they  could  not 
say  a  word.  One  alone  among  them  gave  tokens  that 
he  approved  what  I  was  saying.  At  last  the  governor 
dismissed  us  with  these  words  :  '  Well,  then,  what  is 
it  you  want  ?'  '  One  thing  only  we  want,'  I  replied, 
'  and  that  is,  not  to  be  constrained  to  call  in  the  bonzes 
or  enter  the  pagodas.'  '  Is  not  every  one  at  liberty  in 
Japan,'  returned  the  governor, '  to  go  into  the  pagodas 
or  to  stay  away  ?' 

"When  we  had  left,  the  choya  said  to  the  old  men  : 
*Why  did  you  say  nothing?  You  ought  to  have 
spoken  like  your  comrade.  Come  to-morrow,  and  I 
will  let  you  know  the  governor's  answer.' 

"  Such  was  Dominic's  account.  Ten  years  ago, 
matters  would  not  have  turned  out  exactly  in  that 
way.  Our  courageous  catechist  would  have  been  well 
tortured  in  punishment  for  his  daring  answers.  How- 
ever, the  affair  is  not  over  yet ;  the  difficulty  is  as 
great  as  ever.  We  finished  the  day  by  solemnly  bap- 
tizing twenty-three  adults. 

"  22d  April.— Yesterday  evening,  the  choya  of  Onra- 


IXTRODUCTIOX.  35 

kami  gave  audience  to  the  deputies  of  the  city.  He 
told  them  that  it  is  the  governor's  Avish  that  they 
should  call  in  the  bonzes  for  their  interments,  in  con- 
formity with  the  custom  of  the  empire.  He  told  them 
not  to  lose  courage,  to  present  themselves  again  before 
the  governor,  and  petition  him  to  dispense  them  from 
usages  contrary  to  the  way  they  had  embraced.  Nay, 
he  even  promised  to  go  with  them  and  support  them 
in  their  application. 

"23d  April. — At  night-fall,  twenty-five  neophytes 
of  Ourahami  received  baptism. 

"  24th  April. — The  Yicar- Apostolic  received  a  visit 
from  a  Christian  woman,  who  came  fi^om  a  great  dis- 
tance, though  she  is  seventy-two  years  of  age.  The 
village  she  lives  in  has  a  population  of  about  three 
hundred  families,  all  of  whom  are  Christians.  We 
hear  that  the  choya  of  Ourakami  hast  just  sent  to  the 
governor  of  Nagasaki  the  lists  of  the  families  who 
petitioned  to  be  delivered  from  the  yoke  of  the 
bonzes. 

"  28th  April. — A  person  has  jast  died  at  Ourakami. 
The  choya  has  been  informed.  Here  we  meet  again 
the  great  difficulty.  The  affair  has  been  referred  to 
the  governor,  who  has  dispensed  with  the  attendance 
of  the  bonze.  The  rumor  of  what  the  Christians  had 
done  reached  the  city.  Dominic  brought  the  bishop 
a  list  of  fifty  pagans  in  Nagasaki  anxious  to  embrace 
our  religion  and  to  study  the  Christian  doctrine.  At 
Ourakami  several  pagans  have  had  themselves  en- 
rolled among  the  catechumens. 

"  29th  April.— An  inhabitant  of  a  neighboring  vil- 


36  INTRODUCTION. 

lage  says  that  tlie  clioya  of  that  quarter  has  threat- 
ened to  send  into  banishment  all  who  hold  any  com- 
munication with  us.  The  officers  of  Omoura,  vrho  re- 
side at  Ourakami,  forbid  the  Japanese  of  their  gov- 
ernment to  have  anything  to  say  to  us.  In  spite  of 
the  prohibition,  children  are  brought  to  us  every  night 
from  the  province  of  Omoura,  that  they  may  be  bap- 
tized." 

The  months  of  May  and  June  passed  by  without  any 
remarkable  danger  in  the  situation  of  affairs.  From 
the  1st  January,  1867,  to  the  9th  June,  the  number 
of  first  communions  had  increased  to  about  twelve 
hundred.  In  a  letter,  written  the  14tli  June,  to  the 
Directors  of  the  Seminary  for  Foreign  Missions,  the 
Eev.  J.  Cousin  gives  the  following  description  of  a  re- 
ligious ceremony  which  took  place  at  Nagasaki  some 
days  previously.  The  2d  June  will  be  a  memorable 
day  in  the  history  of  our  Mission.  I  allude  to  the  in- 
auguration of  the  statue  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  v/hich, 
at  the  request  of  our  Bishop,  you  sent  to  Nagasaki. 
The  French  minister  and  Admiral  Eoze,  who  had 
lately  arrived  on  board  the  frigate  Guerriere,  wore 
good  enough  to  accept  Mgr.  Petitjean's  invitation, 
and  promised  to  assist  at  the  ceremonies. 

"  Every  one  lent  a  hand  to  the  work.  While  the 
Japanese  prepared  garlands  of  leaves  and  flowers,  our 
brave  seamen  pitched,  opposite  the  church,  a  tent  to 
shelter  the  statue  of  Mary  and  the  altar  on  which  the 
Holy  Sacrifice  will  be  celebrated.  In  the  centre  of 
the  most  elevated  plot  a  pedestal  was  raised,  destined 
to  receiv^e  Our  Lady  of  Japan.     She  will  be  there, 


INTRODUCTION'.  3? 

witliin  view  of  all,  as  a  memorial  of  the  victory  gained 
over  the  demon,  whose  images  were  hitherto  the  only 
ones  allowed  to  be  seen  in  public.  '  What  recollec- 
tions and  what  hopes  are  associated  with  this  title  of 
Our  Lady  of  Japan!'  observed  the  French  minister, 
whose  great  mind  comprehended  all  the  significance 
of  the  manifestation.  And,  truly,  neither  God  nor  His 
Holy  Mother  will  forget  the  inscription  on  the  pedes- 
tal of  the  statue  :  Our  Lady  of  Japan,  pray  for  m  !  In 
memoriam  diei  17  Martii,  1865.'  On  the  right  and 
left  of  this  inscription,  the  following  touching  and  ap- 
propriate invocations  are  inscribed :  Regina  martyrum. 
A uxilium  Christ ianorum. 

"  The  approach  to  the  church  of  Nagasaki  is  by  a 
flight  of  steps,  along  which  are  parterres  ornamented 
with  flowers.  On  each  side  of  the  altar  erected  on 
that  occasion  under  the  porch  of  the  church,  praying 
desks  and  seats  were  placed  for  the  French  minister 
and  the  foreign  consuls,  the  admiral  and  his  staff. 
Lower  down,  nearer  the  statue,  and  on  the  upper  gal- 
lery of  our  habitation,  the  European  residents  and  the 
band  of  the  frigate  were  stationed  :  lastly,  the  Jap- 
anese, in  great  numbers,  filled  the  garden  and  the 
space  about  the  church. 

"  Striking,  indeed,  was  the  scene  when  our  prelate, 
clothed  in  his  pontifical  vestments,  and  surrounded 
by  his  five  Missioners,  ascended  the  altar.  However, 
there  was  more  in  it  than  a  merely  beautiful  sight. 

-In  memory  of  tlie  ITtli  March,  1865.  (The  day  on  wliicli  the 
Japanese  congregations  were  discovered.) 


38  INTEODUCTION. 

From  the  altar,  wliich  commands  the  prospect,  the 
port,  so  lately  closed  against  strangers,  is  seen 
below ;  to  the  right  is  the  city  where,  formerly,  in- 
struments of  torture  were  prepared  for  our  twenty- 
six  martyrs ;  and,  farther  on,  rises  the  mountain  on 
which  were  immolated  these  invincible  witnesses  of 
Jesus  Christ.  In  fine,  it  is  Japan,  the  land  in  which 
the  cross  was  trampled  under  foot.  And  now  the 
day  has  come  when  France,  represented  in  a  three- 
fold manner,  in  her  religious  strength,  civilizing  in- 
fluence and  warlike  power,  by  a  bishop,  a  minister 
plenipotentiary,  and  an  admiral,  kneeling  together 
before  the  same  God,  publicly  takes  her  part  in  the 
sacrifice  of  the  cross,  and  raises  a  monument  to  the 
Queen  of  Heaven,  whom  she  proclaims  Our  Lady  of 
Japan !  Surely,  considered  from  this  point  of  view, 
the  ceremony  was  a  real  triumph. 

"  This  triumph  was  indicated  in  a  few  words  which 
fell  from  the  lips  of  the  Yicar- Apostolic  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  ceremony.  '  Our  Lady  of  Japan,'  said 
the  prelate,  'is  not  a  new  title  given  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin.  From  the  beginning  the  Mission  has  been 
under  her  patronage,  and  Mary  has  shown  that  she 
has  watched  over  her  charge  with  unfailing  solici- 
tude. And  so,  when  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  confided 
to  us  the  difficult  office  and  the  honor  of  representing 
him  in  these  distant  regions,  our  first  thought  was  to 
consecrate  to  this  good  Mother  our  own  person  and 
the  Church  she  has  preserved  from  total  destruction. 
This  festivity  is,  therefore,  an  offering  of  thanksgiv- 
ing ;  moreover,  it  will  be  a  pledge  of  protection  for 


INTKODUCTION.  39 

tlie  nations  wlio  are  so  noblj  represented.  In  tliee, 
then,  Our  Lady  of  Japan,  we  place  all  our  hopes  !' 

"After  Mass,  the  official  report  of  the  ceremony 
was  signed  by  those  present,  and  deposited  in  the  in- 
terior of  the  statue  of  Our  Lad}^,  who  has  thus  been 
constituted  guardian  of  the  land.  The  illumination 
of  the  fagade  of  the  Church  and  of  the  ornamental 
plots  serving  as  an  avenue  to  the  edifice,  brought  the 
ceremony  to  a  conclusion.  The  French  and  Portu- 
guese consuls  generously  contributed  to  defray  the 
expenses.  In  spite  of  the  rain,  which  had  been 
threatening  us  during  the  previous  three  days,  the  il- 
lumination succeeded  admirably.  The  vice-governor 
of  the  city,  accompanied  by  the  French  consul,  ap- 
proached to  the  very  foot  of  the  statue  of  Mary,  and 
offered  his  congratulations  to  the  bishop." 

At  the  very  time  that  the  practice  of  honoring  the 
Mother  of  God  was  restored  after  an  interval  of  two 
centuries  in  Japan,  the  Church  was  preparing  a  tri- 
umph for  the  ancestors  of  the  new  Christians.  On 
the  7th  of  July,  the  pontifical  decree  was  published 
at  Kome,  declaring  Blessed  two  hundred  and  five  of 
the  innumerable  Confessors  put  to  death  in  the  sev- 
enteenth century.^  If  the  persecutions,  which  recom- 
menced some  days  after  the  celebration  of  Nagasaki 
and  Rome,  have  not  had  the  same  character  as  the 

^  These  two  hundred  and  five  martyrs,  cliosen  from  those  who 
suffered  from  the  22d  May,  1617,  to  the  3d  September,  1632,  repre- 
sent all  classes  of  civD  society,  and  all  the  religious  Orders  engaged 
in  evangelizing  Japan  up  to  that  time,  the  Franciscans,  Dominicans, 
Jesuits,  and  Augustinians. 


238      19 


40  INTRODUCTION. 

preceding,  may  we  not  attribute  this  advantage  to 
the  twofcld  mediation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  the 
holy  Martyrs  ? 

During  the  night  of  the  14-15th  July,  1867,  some 
officers,  followed  by  a  number  of  satellites,  arrested 
at  Ourakami  about  sixty  Christians,  irrespective  of 
age  or  sex,  bound  and  ill-used  them,  and  led  them 
away  to  prison.  The  following  letter  was  written  by 
the  Eev.  J.  Laucaigne  to  the  Directors  of  the  Semi- 
nary for  Foreign  Missions : 

"Nagasaki,  18th  July,  1867. — -A  courier  brings  us 
intelligence  of  the  arrest  of  several  of  the  principal 
Christians,  men  and  women,  of  Our  Lady  of  the 
Epiphany,  on  Monday  last,  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  There  was  a  report  that  the  son  of  the 
baptizer  was  flogged  to  such  a  degree  that  he  was 
left  half  dead.  The  chapel  was  pillaged  and  ran- 
sacked. 

"  Francis  Xavier,  one  of  our  catechists,  was  return- 
ing from  Mass  when  news  of  the  disaster  reached 
Nagasaki.  He  crossed  the  sea  at  once,  and  arrived 
in  the  valley  just  as  the  prisoners  were  being  led 
away  to  the  city.  From  him  I  had  the  most  particu- 
lar account  of  the  sad  events  of  the  morning.  First 
of  all,  he  told  me  of  the  arrest  of  his  father  (the 
mayor  of- the  village  of  St.  Francis  Xavier),  and  the 
barbarous  way  he  was  treated  by  the  satellites,  who 
beat  him  with  sticks  and  bound  him,  not  giving  him 
time  to  take  his  clothes.  Though  merely  a  catechu- 
men, he  has  shown  great  patience  and  courage.  The 
executioners  were   astonished,  and  said  to  one   an- 


INTRODUCTION.  41 

other  :  '  This  is  a  true  Christian  indeed  ;  yon  may 
beat  him  as  long  as  you  please,  he  never  complains.' 
The  eldest  brother  of  Francis  Xavier,  a  whole  family 
of  relatives,  some  young  catechists,  several  women 
who  came  out  to  bid  them  farewell,  the  eldest  brother 
of  another  catechist,  a  young  girl  who  occupied  her- 
self in  instructing  her  companions,  and  a  woman 
with  her  child,  aged  two  years,  complete  the  list  of 
those  who  were  put  in  bondage  for  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ.  On  leaving  the  village  of  St.  Fran- 
cis, the  troop  of  persecutors,  amounting  to  about 
three  hundred  men,  divided  into  parties,  and  fell 
simultaneously  on  the  villages  of  St.  Clare,  St.  Joseph 
and  Our  I^ady  of  the  Epiphany.  At  St.  Clare,  the 
first  Christian  seized  was  an  old  man,  who  had  been 
imprisoned  during  the  late  persecution.  Having 
been  recognized  by  one  of  the  satellites,  he  was  at 
once  set  at  liberty.  Less  humanity  was  shown  to  a 
baptizer,  whose  father  had  suffered  for  the  faith  ten 
years  ago ;  along  with  him  were  arrested  and  impris- 
oned one  of  his  daughters,  fifteen  years  of  age,  and 
several  Christians  from  distant  parts  of  the  country, 
who  had  come  to  him  to  be  instructed  in  the  Chris- 
tian doctrine. 

"  There  was  time,  at  St.  Joseph  of  the  Epiphany, 
to  hide  the  different  objects  of  devotion,  while  the 
satellites  were  occupied  in  arresting  the  baptizer  and 
the  two  principal  Christians.  At  ^Our  Lady  of  the 
Epiphany,  the  satellites  went  at  once  to  the  proprie- 
tor of  the  site  on  which  the  chapel  was  built.  When 
he  heard  the  voices  of  the  nocturnal  visitors,  and  the 


42  INTRODUCTION. 

continued  knocking  at  the  door,  lie  thought  of  what 
had  happened  in  1856,  when  he  was  arrested  with 
his  father  and  mother.  This  time  also,  he  hastily 
made  his  escape  by  a  secret  passage.  While  he  was 
making  for  the  w^oods,  the  chapel  was  given  up  to 
pillage.  Without  stopping  to  take  the  trouble  of 
making  a  selection  among  the  numerous  Christians 
shut  up  in  the  chapel,  the  satellites  arrested  all  who 
came  in  their  w^ay.  'Where  is  Mr. 's  house,  de- 
manded an  officer  of  the  first  young  man  he  met. 
'Here  it  is,'  was  the  rejDly.  'And  who  are  you?' 
'I  am  the  son  of  the  person  you  are  looking  for.' 
Hearing  this,  the  satellites  stopped  him,  tied  his 
hands  behind  his  back,  and  pushed  him  on  before 
them.  The  young  man  was  in  delicate  health ;  the 
indignation  of  the  old  Christians  was  excited  by  the 
brutality  with  which  he  was  treated,  and  the  satel- 
lites got  a  few  blows.     Mr. ,  who  is  the  baptizer 

of  the  village  ;  his  eldest  son,  another  Christian,  pro- 
prietor of  a  garden,  which  sometimes  serves  as  a 
pubhc  walk  for  the  European  residents  of  Nagasaki, 
were  bound  and  led  along  the  road  to  the  city. 

"  Immediately  after  their  presentation  to  the  choya, 
the  Christians  who  had  been  arrested  w^ere  put  in 
prison.  Of  what  occurred  in  the  house  of  the  choya, 
or  in  the  prison,  we  know  nothing.  All  we  could 
learn  was,  that  they  practised  a  gross  imposition  on 
the  Christians,  and  tried  to  make  them  appear  as 
rebels.  And  this  is  the  w^ay  they  endeavored  to  com- 
pass their  designs.  The  choya  advised  them  to 
offer  resistance  to  the  satellites,  and  procure  arms. 


INTRODUCTIOX.  43 

promising  his  assistance  and  the  help  of  his  superior 
officers  'against  whose  will,'  he  said,  'these  things 
had  taken  place.'  I  hastened  to  inform  our  dear 
prisoners  of  the  stratagem,  and  to  w^arn  them  against 
the  new  snare  set  for  them,  recommending  them  not 
to  offer  any  resistance,  no  matter  how  badly  they 
might  be  treated. 

"  The  result  of  this  day's  work  was  the  imprison- 
ment of  sixty-five,  some  say  sixty-nine  persons.  The 
question  is,  are  the  arrests  likely  to  go  on  ?  Our 
Christians,  at  any  rate,  are  ready  for  whatever  may 
happen,  even  if  they  should  have  to  lay  down  their 
life.  Let  us  hope  that  the  Almighty  will  not  require 
such  a  sacrifice." 

Under  date  of  the  27th  July,  the  Vicar-Apostolic 
announced  that  the  ministers  of  France  and  the 
United  States  interested  themselves  with  the  Japa- 
nese government  in  behalf  of  the  incarcerated  Chris- 
tians. The  followinor  are  extracts  from  the  last  let- 
ters  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cousin  : 

"  2d  August. — The  persecutors  seem  determined  to 
continue  their  work.  A  Christian  v/oman,  named 
Clara,  was  brought  up  to-day  before  the  criminal 
judge,  to  give  an  account  of  her  conduct  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  recent  death  of  her  mother.  Faithful  to 
God  and  her  conscience,  she  refused  to  call  in  the 
bonze,  after  giving  notice  to  the  civil  officers.  Being 
cited  before  tlie  cl  oya  and  the  d|iicouan,  sh^  ]  pro- 
tested that  she  never  would  have  recourse  to  the 
bonze.  The  judge  has  just  inquired  whether  she 
would  not  retract  her  first  answers,  and  whether  she 


44  INTRODUCTION. 

persevered  in  lier  foolish  obstinacy.  On  lier  reply, 
the  executioners  were  ordered  to  put  her  in  bonds. 

"  10th  August. — We  are  now  in  possession  of  some 
details  concerning  the  examination  of  Clara.  The 
judge  wished  to  save  her,  by  making  her  say  that  it 
was  through  forgetfulness  she  neglected  to  call  in 
the  bonze.  But  she  protested  energetically  that  she 
acted  designedly,  to  fulfil  the  last  wishes  of  her 
mother,  and  to  save  her  soul.  Then  it  was  that  she 
was  bound  and  cast  into  prison.  She  had  said, 
when  leaving  the  village,  '  I  shall  never  return  ;  but 
I  am  not  unhappy,  for  I  can  tell  the  other  prisoners 
all  that  the  Bishop  and  the  Europeans  are  doing  for 
us.' 

"  The  mode  of  persecution  adopted  will  become 
disastrous  if  persevered  in.  Many  Christians,  who 
now  endure  every  kind  of  torture  without  shrinking, 
will,  perhaps,  find  their  courage  fail  at  the  thought 
that  henceforth  death  will  not  strike  a  victim  in  their 
family  without,  by  the  same  blow,  sending  other  vic- 
tims to  pine  away  in  dungeons. 

"  More  deaths  have  occurred,  and  the  number  of 
the  accused  has  been  increased  in  consequence,  sum- 
moned as  they  are  even  noAV  to  give  an  account  of 
their  conduct.  Not  long  since,  an  old  man  came  by 
night  to  receive  the  sacraments,  so  that  he  might 
next  day  fearlessly  appear  before  the  criminal  judge. 

"  Tlie  Christians  of  Nagasaki  are  not  the  only 
sufferers.  More  than  forty  of  our  flock  have  lately 
been  arrested  in  a  neighboring  province,  namely, 
Omoura.     The  officers  have  taken  a  census,  in  which 


INTRODUCTION.  45 

every  one  was  to  prove  himself  not  to  be  a  Cliristian 
by  signing  a  declaration  with  his  blood,  drinking,  at 
the  same  time,  a  draught  of  water,  over  which  the 
bonzes  had  pronounced  certain  superstitious  words. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  village  of  Coba,  understanding 
that  they  were  required  to  make  an  act  of  apostasy, 
refused  to  sign,  declaring  they  would  rather  die  than 
cease  to  be  Christians.  All,  with  the  exception  of 
women,  and  children  under  fifteen  years  of  age,  were 
thrown  into  prison.  The  Christians  of  the  village  of 
Kitamoura  were,  in  the  first  instance,  quite  taken  in ; 
but  subsequently  discovering  that  an  act  of  apostasy 
was  required  of  them,  they  all  went  in  a  body  pro- 
testing they  were  deceived,  and  that  they  were  Chris- 
tians like  the  people  of  Coba.  Seven  of  their  number 
were  immediately  incarcerated.  The  women  and 
children  asked  to  be  allowed  to  share  the  same  fate, 
but  they  were  dismissed. 

"  Thus,  many  families  are  exposed  to  want  and  all 
manner  of  danger  by  the  loss  of  their  principal  mem- 
bers. Our  Christians  of  Ourakami,  actuated  by  the 
dictates  of  their  persecuted  religion,  and  under  an 
inspiration  worthy  of  its  sanctity,  have  gone  in  turn 
to  keep  watch  over  the  desolate  houses,  uninhabited 
now  save  by  widows  and  orphans. 

"18th  August. — My  sad  anticipations  have  been 
realized ;  in  the  two  villages  of  Coba  and  Kitamoura 
there  does  not  remain  a  single'  Christian ;  all,  even 
the  women  and  children  are  in  prison ;  their  desire 
has  been  thus  accomplished.  Communication  with 
them  is  completely  interrupted,  so  that  it  has  become 


46  INTRODUCTION. 

impossible  to  ascertain  how  they  are  treated,  or  to 
form  an  idea  of  the  fate  that  awaits  them.  Unfavora- 
ble reports  are  afloat,  to  the  effect  that  seven  of  them 
are  destined  to  die,  after  which  the  rest  will  be  set 
free.  Nothing  can  be  known  for  certain,  except  that 
the  inferior  officers  urge  the  adoption  of  extreme 
measures,  in  the  hope  of  deriving  some  profit  from 
the  executions.  In  the  prisons  of  Omura  are  more 
than  one  hundred  and  ten  confessors  of  the  faith,  and 
in  those  of  Nagasaki  more  than  sixty. 

"Affairs  seem  to  take  a  favorable  turn  at  Nagasaki. 
The  French  minister  will,  it  is  said,  obtain  the  imme- 
diate release  of  the  prisoners  and  the  restoration  of 
their  confiscated  property.  The  governor  of  the  city 
does  not  deny  that  he  has  received  orders  on  the 
subject.  We  must,  therefore,  render  thanks  to  God 
that  He  has  shortened  the  time  of  trial.  However, 
it  must  be  acknowledged  that  neither  our  joy  nor 
confidence  can  be  at  the  present  moment  complete ; 
our  fear  is  that  restrictive  conditions  will  be  imposed 
in  the  event  of  the  liberation  of  the  Christians." 

In  drawing  our  long  account  to  a  conclusion,  we 
shaU  add  some  items  of  late  news.  The  representa- 
tives of  foreign  powers  take  a  lively  interest  in  the 
fate  of  the  Christians.  To  their  influence,  no  doubt, 
may  be  attributed  the  fact  that  we  have  not  to  mourn 
over  more  numerous  arrests.  For  example,  one  of 
their  number,  in  an  audience  granted  by  the  governor 
of  Nagasaki,  energetically  combated  the  pretext  put 
forward  to  justify  the  persecution. 

"It  is  not  in  the  name  of  treaties,"  said  he  to  the 


INTRODUCTION.  47 

governor,  *'  that  I  come  here,  but  as  a  friend,  and  in 
the  name  of  humanity,  the  laws  of  which  you  are 
violating.  Europe  wdll  reprobate  your  proceedings  ; 
you  will  fall  in  her  estimation  once  more  into  the 
ranks  of  barbarous  nations,  and  your  relations  with 
her  will  suffer  in  consequence." 

Two  days  later,  another  consul  repeated  the  same 
argument  to  the  governor ;  it  is  the  only  one  capable 
of  being  understood  or  listened  to. 

Having  heard  of  the  destitution  that  had  come 
upon  certain  families  whose  fathers  were  in  prison, 
Mgr.  Petitjean  sent  them  some  relief.  They  unani- 
mously refused  to  accept  assistance,  saying  that  the 
Bishop  and  the  Missioners  had  enough  to  do  to  pro- 
vide or  t  e  wants  of  those  of  whom  they  had  taken 
charge. 

"And,  indeed,  the  fact  is,"  whites  the  Eev.  Mr. 
Cousin,  "  that  the  Bishop  has  gathered  together,  in  a 
safe  place,  some  orphans,  especially  those  who  have 
sliowai  aptitude  for  Latin  studies.  So  that  the  enemy 
of  salvation,  in  depriving  the  Christian  villages  of  the 
fathers  of  their  families,  has  been  instrumental  in 
causing  the  foundation  of  a  seminary,  from  wdiich 
will  issue  forth,  in  time  to  come,  his  most  formidable 
adversaries.  Already  twenty  children  have  been  col- 
lected ;  we  have  to  make  some  sacrifices  for  their 
support,  which  we  do  not  regret,  but  w^hich  will  soon 
exhaust  our  resources,  unless  Bivine  Providence 
comes  to  our  aid. 

"  Such  of  our  Christians  as  have  been  admitted  to 
the  sacraments  are  strono-  in  faith,  and  only  for  the 


48  INTRODUCTION. 

express  proliibition  of  the  Bishop,  would  come  in 
great  numbers  to  confession  eyerj  evening.  I  must 
tell  you  that  two  Christian  women  passed  a  whole 
night  in  the  church  waiting  to  receive  the  Holy 
Eucharist,  and  go  back  more  courageous.  One  of 
them  is  married,  and  the  mother  or  relative  of  several 
among  the  prisoners." 

Such,  on  the  15th  September,  1867,  was  the  last 
news  from  Japan.  The  prayers  of  our  Associates 
will  bring  these  trials  to  a  speedy  conclusion.  Cer- 
tainly, they  can  only  be  temporary,  for  "  it  seems  im- 
possible," wrote  one  of  the  Missioners,  "  that  God 
would  have  raised  this  Church  from  its  ruins,  only  to 
let  it  fall  into  destruction  again.  Faith  will  surely 
triumph  over  these  last  efforts  of  the  devil.' 


LIFE    OF    THE 

BLESSED  CHARLES  SPINOLA. 


PAUT    I. 

PREPARATION  FOR  THE  APOSTLESHIP. 

I. — The  desiee  of  Blessed  Charles  for  Martyrdom 

■ 

The  name  of  Spinola  is  famous  in  the  military 
annals  of  Italy  and  tlie  Low  Countries. 

In  tlie  sixteenth  century  Augustine  Spinola  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  defending  Genoa,  his  native 
city  against  the  Gonzagas,  and  in  many  campaigns 
under  Charles  V.  In  the  next  age,  Ambrose  Spinola 
won  still  greater  glory  in  defending  Catholicity  in 
Belgium.  A  great  ornament  was  reserved  for  this 
family. 

In  1564  there  was  born  at  Genoa  a  grandson  of 
Augustine,  who  was  to  invest  the  name  of  Spinola 
with  incomparable  renown.  This  was  Charles,  son 
of  Octavius   Spinola,   Count     f  Tassarolo,   to  whom 

0 


50  LIFE   OF   THE 

tlie  Sovereign  Pontiff,  Pius  IX.,  lias  jusfc  decreed  the 
martyr's  palm. 

Before  describing  the  actions  of  the  Blessed 
Charles,  it  will  not  be  useless  to  show  the  principle 
which  directed  them.  This  principle  was  an  im- 
mense desire  of  shedding  his  blood  for  Jesus  Christ. 
In  his  eyes  martyrdom  was  not  only  a  crowning- 
favor  from  heaven  in  reward  for  his  devotedness,  or 
an  heroic  act  worthily  closing  a  life  consecrated  to 
the  glory  of  God;  it  was  the  object  of  his  first  aspi- 
rations, the  aim  of  all  his  labors.  Others  like  him 
have  suffered  for  the  diffusion  of  the  Gospel,  some 
even  have  been  tortured  with  greater  barbarity,  in 
this  point  alone  our  hero  has  few  equals :  the  thought 
of  martyrdom  governed  his  whole  life,  and  inspired 
his  most  important  resolutions.  And  as  though  God 
himself  designed  thus  to  teach  us  an  important  les- 
son, he  has  permitted  us  to  know  of  the  early  youth 
of  this  illustrious  martyr  only  this  admirable  disposi- 
tion. The  rest  is  either  common  to  him  and  other 
members  of  his  family,  or  is  confiiied  to  vague  in- 
dications: Lis  inclination  for  martyrdom  alone  is 
noted. 

Tb's  attraction  came  from  1  eaven,  as  no  one  can 
doubt.  But  God  took  delight  in  the  fidelity  of  his 
servant,  as  of  old  in  Job's ;  he  was  pleased  to  con- 
template in  the  child  the  heroic  actions  of  his  riper 
as"e,  and  he  revealed  them  beforehand  to  his  chosen 
souls.  Thus,  Father  Bartholomew  Eicci  of  ihe  So- 
ciety of  Jesus  learned  the  destiny  of  young  Charles, 
and  in  the  expansion  of  his  joy,  revealed  to  him  the 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  51 

secret  of  God.  Tliese  details  we  learn  from  the  lioly 
martyr's  own  lips.  Towards  tlie  close  of  liis  life  lie 
recalled  with  emotion  tlie  wonderful  dispositions  of 
Divine  Providence  in  his  regard,  and  in  the  outpour- 
ing of  a  pious  conversation  he  sometimes  made  known 
the  graces  that  he  had  received.  "  I  was  still  quite 
young,"  said  he  one  day  to  a  Japanese  catechist, 
"  and  playing  with  other  3'ouths  of  my  own  age, 
when  the  Father  who  had  charge  of  us  during  recre- 
ation took  me  apart,  and  told  me  that  I  would  enter 
the  Society  of  Jesus,  and  be  sent  to  Japan  to  propa- 
gate the  Faith.  He  foretold  a  third  thing  to  me,"  he 
added,  "  but  that  is  not  yet  verified." 

The  catechist's  curiosity  was  strongl}^  excited  as  to 
this  mysterious  point ;  but  all  his  entreaty  could  ob- 
tain no  light :  he  only  learned  that  he  should  one  day 
know.  To  a  religious  of  his  society,  however.  Father 
Spinola  avowed  that,  according  to  the  prediction,  he 
was  to  have  the  happiness  of  shedding  his  blood  for 
religion.  Among  the  Japanese  it  was  a  generally  re- 
ceived opinion  that  the  holy  missionary  had  from 
childhood  known  that  God  destmed  him  for  martyr- 
dom. 

Charles's  education,  without  preparing  him  directly 
for  the  apostolic  vocation,  was  nevertheless  pious  and 
careful,  suited  to  the  rank  and  traditions  of  his  fam- 
ily. His  education  was  that  of  a  Spinola.  When  he 
had  scarcely  outgrown  infancy  he  was  taken  to  SjDain, 
where  several  of  his  uncles  held  high  positions.  Ke- 
turning  to  Italy  he  was  confided  to  another  uncle, 
Cardinal  Philip  Spinola,  then  administering  the  dio- 


52  LIFE   OF   THE 

cese  of  Nola.  There  living  in  the  palace,  and  attend- 
ing the  college  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  he  resumed 
his  scarcely  commenced  studies,  and  all  the  exercises 
of  mind  and  body  that  were  to  fit  him  to  follow  a 
career  worthy  of  his  name.  If  he  chose  to  enter  the 
church,  the  Cardinal's  favor  opened  the  way  to  the 
highest  dignities  ;  if  he  preferred  the  splendors  of  the 
world,  he  might  aspire  to  the  most  enviable  posts, 
through  the  influence  of  his  father,  then  Grand 
Equerry  to  the  Emperor. 

With  such  protection  even  mediocrity  attains  the 
foremost  rank ;  what  might  not  a  nobleman  expect 
who  added  to  all  these  external  advantages  the  most 
brilliant  and  solid  personal  qualities,  and  who  sought 
to  develop  them  by  all  the  means  afforded  under  the 
wise  training  of  his  teachers  ?  Such  were  men's 
thoughts,  and  for  a  time  Charles  shared  them,  with 
this  difference,  that  in  a  spirit  of  nobler  ambition,  he 
wished  to  owe  everything  to  his  own  merit.  Did  he 
persist  in  these  ideas  after  hearing  the  prediction  of 
his  apostleship  and  martyrdom?  This  is  scarcely 
credible,  if  we  consider  the  authority  already  enjoyed 
by  Father  Bartholomew  Eicci,  and  the  profound  im- 
pression which  the  holy  martyr  retained  to  the  end 
of  his  life,  of  this  communication.  God  certainly 
claimed  this  great  soul,  now  immersed  in  serious  re- 
flections. The  brevity  of  this  life,  the  uncertainty  of 
the  last  hour,  the  instability  of  human  affairs,  the 
emptiness  of  honors  that  have  no  influence  on  eter- 
nity ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  durability  of  the  divine 
promises  and  what  rests  on  them,  the  consolations 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  53 

of  divine  love,  the  sublimity  of  the  Christian  apostle- 
ship  ;  these  and  other  like  considerations  gradually 
weaned  the  young  man  from  the  v^^orld  and  disposed 
him  for  the  most  sublime  designs.  At  the  age  of 
twent}^,  and  just  on  the  point  of  terminating  his 
studies,  Charles  was  in  this  happy  state  of  mind 
when  a  great  example  of  apostolic  heroism  gave  him 
the  decisive  impulse. 

Among  the  missionaries,  who  were  continuing  in 
the  Indies  the  work  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,was  Father 
Eudolph  Aquaviva,  an  Italian  like  Charles,  and  of 
a  family  equally  distinguished  wikth  the  Spinolas. 
This  worthy  religious,  after  spending  his  strength  in 
the  service  of  the  gospel,  received  the  reward  of  his 
generosity  :  he  was  massacred  by  some  islanders,  in 
hatred  of  religion,  July  15,  1583.  When  the  tidings 
of  his  martyrdom  reached  Italy,  Charles  was  deeply 
moved.  To  die  for  the  faith,  to  shed  his  blood  for 
Jesus  Christ,  seemed  to  him  supreme  happiness. 
Thenceforward  all  his  thoughts  tended  to  the  means 
of  attaining  this  end.  His  care  in  deciding  on  a 
choice  of  a  state  of  life,  the  preference  he  gave  to  the 
Society  of  Jesus,  his  firm  adherence  to  his  vocation, 
his  fervent  practice  of  the  duties  of  his  profession ; 
all  are  explained  by  his  desire  for  martyrdom.  Of 
this  we  have  an  authentic  testimony  in  the  letter 
which  he  wrote  at  a  later  day  from  his  prison  in 
Omura  to  the  Very  Kev.  Father  Mutius  Yitelleschi, 
General  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  After  relating  his 
arrest,  as  we  shall  see,  he  dwells  complacently  on 
the    inappreciable    favor,  which  the  Almighty  seems 


54:  LIFE   OF   THE 

to  reserve  for  liim,  that  of  dying  for  the  faith.  The 
humble  religious  dares  not  behold  in  this  the  just  re- 
ward of  his  zeal ;  he  attributes  it  to  the  prayers  of 
Father  Rudolph,  "  whose  heroic  death  long  since  ex- 
cited him  to  solicit  with  such  earnestness  his  entrance 
into  the  Society  and  the  Japanese  mission." 

II. — His  Yocation  to  the  Society  of  Jesus. 

Impelled  by  his  ardor  for  martyrdom,  Charles  had 
promptly  decided  to  solicit  admission  into  the  So- 
ciety of  Jesus.  The  young  candidate  seemed  to 
blend  all  desirable  qualities,  but  prudence  required 
his  family's  approval.  Such  was  the  reply  of  the 
superiors  of  the  order.  This  condition  was  not  easily 
fulfilled.  Charles's  parents  were,  indeed,  too  pious  to 
reject  absolutely  all  idea  of  a  religious  vocation,  and 
they  knew  moreover  that  by  formal  opposition  they 
would  incur  the  anathema  recently  pronounced  by 
the  General  Council  of  Trent ;  but  on  the  other 
hand,  had  they  not  the  right,  were  they  not  even 
bound  to  test  their  son's  vocation  ?  The  principle  is 
just,  if  certainty  as  to  God's  will  alone  is  sought ;  but 
how  often  is  it  only  a  pretext  for  guilty  plots  !  How 
many  a  child  is  diverted  from  his  path  and  thrown 
into  the  most  unbridled  disorder,  by  the  ambition  or 
mistaken  love  of  parents!  The  generous  soul  of 
Charles  rebelled  against  human  calculations  ;  from 
the  opposition  of  his  kindred  it  drew  new  energy  and 
additional  motive  for  adhering  to  his  design ;  but  the 
consent  of  his  family  was   not  the  less  essential. 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  55 

In  an  affair  of  this  nature  Charles  correctly  felt 
that  his  uncle's  influence  would  always  preponderate, 
and  that  by  gaining  him  he  would  easily  gain  the 
rest.  He  accordingly  wrote  to  him  at  Rome  where 
he  then  was,  employing  in  his  letter  all  arguments  to 
convince  him.  The  uncle  replied  undecisively.  New 
and  more  pressing  letters  from  the  nephew ;  new, 
kind,  but  always  evasive  replies  from  the  uncle. 

At  last  the  Cardinal  wrote  that  before  deciding  he 
must  wait  for  the  return  of  the  Rector  of  Nola,  then 
absent.  Charles  felt  the  danger  of  these  prolonged 
delays,  and  in  a  moment  of  holy  impatience  replied 
by  the  following  letter,  inspired,  one  would  say,  by 
reading  Saint  Jerome  : 

I  learn,  on  good  authority,  that  the  Father  Rec- 
tor will  not  return  for  some  time  :  hence,  unable  to 
wait,  I  beg  your  Eminence  to  send  me  by  return 
courier  the  permission  I  solicit,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
enter  the  Society  on  St.  Thomas's  day.  For  mercy's 
sake  raise  up  no  more  delays,  I  can  bear  no  more. 
Yie  do  not  require  the  Rector,  the  Father  Provincial 
is  here  to  receive  me.  If  your  Eminence  designed 
putting  me  off  till  I  received  a  favorable  reply  from 
my  father,  you  must  know  that  in  this  I  cannot  de- 
pend on  his  approbation.  Do  what  he  will,  he  will 
not  shake  my  resolution.  I  have  even  discussed  this 
matter  with  your  Eminence  only  from  respect  and 
courtesy,  for  I  feel  convinced  that  no  permission  is 
needed  to  carry  out  such  designs.  Hence,  if  I  am  so 
unhappy  as  not  to  obtain  what  I  ask,  I  shall  at  last 


56  LIFE   OF   THE 

be  compelled  to  exert  the  right  which  God  gave  me. 
I  will  go  and  shut  myself  up  with  the  Fathers ;  they 
cannot  repulse  me,  knowing  that  they  owe  more  re- 
spect to  God  who  calls  me  among  them,  than  to  men 
who  wish  to  prevent  my  entrance.  Were  it  other- 
wise, I  should  be  bold  enough  to  write  to  the  Father 
General,  aud  even,  if  needs  be,  make  my  petition 
reach  the  Sovereign  Pontiff.  Should  all  fail  me,  I 
can  yet  find  some  obscure  nook,  if  at  the  end  of  the 
world,  to  live  on  roots  and  water  :  for  if  God  is  with 
me,  who  shall  be  against  ? 

If  in  what  I  have  just  written  I  overstep  the  bounds 
of  modesty,  let  your  Eminence  attribute  it  to  the 
earnest  desire  that  attracts  me  to  the  religious  life. 
I  trust  that  a  Cardinal  of  Holy  Church  will  not  exert 
the  authority  vested  in  his  august  dignity  to  de- 
prive of  so  great  a  blessing  one  who  has  the  honor  to 
be  his  nephew.  After  seconding  the  religious  voca- 
tions of  so  many  others,  can  you  refuse  to  mine  your 
favor  and  credit?  Not  to  appear  importunate,  I 
insist  no  further. 

Your  Eminence's  most  humble  and  devoted 

Servant, 

Charles  Spinola. 

NcLA,  December  7,  1584. 

This  w^arm  letter  produced  the  best  effect  on  the 
clear  mind  and  good  heart  of  the  Cardinal.  Con- 
vinced that  the  young  man's  firmness  came  from  God, 
he  yielded,  and  immediately  gave  his  approbation, 
influencing  by  his  decision  the  consent  of  the  whole 
family. 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  57 

Great  was  Charles's  joy  at  this  intelHgence,  and  so 
eager  was  he  to  profit  by  this  disposition,  that,  ten 
days  after,  on  the  23d  of  December,  he  entered  the 
novitiate  at  Nola  in  the  province  of  Naples. 

III. — Fervor  of  the  Young  Nomce. 

The  training  of  the  novices  at  Nola  was  then  con- 
fided to  Father  Bartholomew  Eicci — the  same  one 
who  had  made  known  to  young  Charles  the  designs 
of  Providence'  as  to  him.  Imagine  the  joy  and  re- 
spect with  which  he  welcomed  the  young  novice !  With 
what  care  he  sought  to  correspond  to  the  views  of 
God.  The  care  bestowed  by  St.  Ignatius  on  St.  Fran- 
cis Xavier,  must  have  been  that  of  such  a  master  for 
such  a  novice  a  truly  paternal  goodness,  but  no  indul- 
gence for  natural  inclinations;  encouragement  while 
exacting  a  strict  practice  of  the  most  difficult  vir- 
tues. Thus  the  master  trained  his  disciple  in  hu- 
mility, charity,  obedience,  the  love  of  Jesus  crucified ; 
in  a  word,  in  all  the  virtues  which  specially  dispose 
men  for  the  apostolic  life  ;  and  on  his  side  the  disci- 
ple devoted  himself  with  a  zeal  worthy  of  the  glorious 
death  to  which  God  had  called  him. 

Without  entering  on  the  details  of  what  constitutes 
the  life  of  a  fervent  novice,  we  cannot  omit  one  point 
on  which,  as  Charles  reasonably  thought,  depended 
the  success  of  all  his  endeavors  :  his  communings 
with  God.  To  say  that  the  pious  novice  faithfully 
discharged  the  duties  of  prayer,  meditation  and  ex- 
amination of  conscience  ;   in  a  word,  all  the  exer- 


68  LIFE    OF   THE 

cises  of  piety  prescribed  by  the  rule,  would  be  little  ; 
he  went  still  further :  he  gave  more  time  to  prayer, 
always  kneeling,  immovable,  and  in  the  posture  of  a 
most  humble  suppliant.  Two  prayers  (one  at  least 
of  his  own  composition,  and  recited  by  him  every 
morning),  will  give  some  idea  of  the  fervor  wherewith 
he  was  transported  and  the  thoughts  he  entertained 
during  these  moments.  We  give  them  here  for 
the  edification  of  the  reader  : 

I. 

I  adore  Thee,  most  Holy  Trinity,  Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Spirit,  my  God  and  my  all.  I  thank  Thee  for  the 
gifts  of  creation,  redemption  and  preservation ;  for 
the  institution  of  the  holy  Sacraments,  for  m}^  voca- 
tion to  this  Society  ;  for  the  countless  graces  thai. 
Thou  hast  conferred  upon  me  and  for  those  Thou  hast 
conferred  upon  all  men.  Behold  me,  Lord,  all  cov- 
ered with  the  blood  of  thy  divine  Son  !  To  Thy  love, 
to  Thy  glory  and  to  the  salvation  of  my  neighbor,  I 
consecrate  all  that  I  am,  all  that  is  within  or  without 
me,  the  thoughts,  words,  actions  of  this  day  and  of 
my  whole  life.  Take  from  me.  Lord,  whatever  dis- 
pleases Thee,  and  grant  me  all  that  will  make  me 
agreeable  to  Thee.  Guide  me  and  ever  dispose  of  me 
according  to  Thy  good  pleasure.  Grant  me,  through 
the  intercession  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  grace  never  to 
offend  Thee,  but  always  to  do  Thy  holy  v/ill.  Give 
me  the  perfection  which  the  Society  of  Jesus  requires, 
that  my  joy  may  be  full.  Fill  my  soul  with  that 
spiritual  joy  which  will  enable  me  to  find  Thee  in 


I 


BLESSED   CHAKLES   SPINOLA.  59 

every  tiling  and  everjwliere,  and  merit  tlie  martyr's 
palm.     Am- n. 

II. 

Deign,  most  sweet  Jesus,  by  Thy  lioly  name,  to  be 
to  me  truly  Jesus,  a  Saviour,  and  to  grant  me  the 
spirit  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  Engrave  on  my  heart, 
I  pray  Thee,  this  name  beloved,  to  the  end  that  I  may 
feed  on  its  sweetness  and  be  so  inflamed  with  love  of 
it  as  to  die,  most  sweet  and  amiable  Jesus,  ever  in- 
voking this  benign,  sweet  and  saving  name  :  Jesus, 
Jesus !     Amen.' 

Our  saintl}^  novice  had  especially  in  view  two 
things  :  an  intimate  union  with  Jesus  Christ  and  the 
perfection  peculiar  to  the  Society  of  Jesus.  He  ad- 
vanced so  rapidly  that  his  superiors  sent  him  to  the 
college  of  Lecce  to  teach,  before  he  had  completed 
his  first  year  of  novitiate — a  thmg  which  rarely  hap- 
pens in  the  Society.  Need  we  say  he  fully  justified 
the  confidence  placed  in  him.  This  trial,  instead  of 
causing  him  to  grow  remiss,  served  to  spur  him  for- 
ward on  the  way  he  had  begun,  and  helped  him  to 
acquire  that  temper  of  mind  which  great  labors  and 
severe  struggles  demand,  without  diminishing  in  the 
least  that  fervor  which  may  be  deemed  the  privi- 
lege of  beginners.  In  this  work  of  his  sanctification 
how  many  noble  sacrifices !  but,  at  the  same  time, 
what   profusion   of  heavenly  graces  !     Divine  Provi- 

^  On  2Gtli  of  January,  1840,  Gregory  XVI.  granted  an  indulgence 
of  tlirec  hundred  days  to  all  those  reciting  these  prayers. 


60  LIFE   OF   THE 

dence,  ever  attentive  to  the  good  of  this  cherished 
soul  lavished  on  him  choice  graces.  At  Lecce,  he 
had  for  spiritual  director  the  venerable  Father  Ber- 
nardine  Realini — a  man  of  rare  merit,  ^the  process 
for  whose  canonization  has  been  for  a  long  time  be- 
fore the  Pvoman  Congregations. 

Of  all  the  subjects  that  prepossessed  the  mind  of 
the  3' oung  religious,  and  which  he  discussed  with  his 
spiritual  director,  the  foreign  missions  held  the  fore- 
most place. 

Should  he  urge  his  superiors  to  send  him  to  Japan, 
or  place  himself  entirely  at  the  disposal  of  Divine 
Providence,  ever  so  benignant  in  its  manifestations 
towards  him?  That  he  should  hesitate  and  doubt 
may,  perhaps,  astonish  the  reader.  Every  step 
hitherto  taken  was  but  to  grasp  the  martyr's  crown 
by  a  missionary  career :  to  open  the  way  he  had 
exerted,  perhaps,  undue  ardor  and  firmness ;  and 
now  that  every  prospect  brightened  and  the  mis- 
sion of  Japan  called  aloud  for  help,  he  hesitates  to 
offer  himself.  Is  this  the  young  man  whose  letter  to 
Cardinal  Spinola  Ave  have  read  ?  It  is  the  very 
same,  with  the  same  aspirations,  but  tempered  by 
greater  prudence  and  a  more  exact  conception  of 
apostolic  devotedness.  He  has  learned  to  submit 
himself  to  guidance,  and  to  value  only  what  God 
wills.  He  knows  that  attachment  to  one's  own  will 
vitiates  offerings  otherwise  very  acceptable,  and  that 
the  most  brilliant  actions  may  prove  to  be  so  many 
steps  in  the  wrong  direction.     He  awaits  the  word 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  61 

of  command,  and  places  himself  in  the  hands  of  God 
as  a  docile  and  ready  instrument/ 

The  venerable  Father  Eealini  discerned  the  sj^irit 
of  God  in  these  dispositions.  He  wished  the  good 
novice  to  forestall  the  decision  of  the  superiors,  and 
promised  to  write  himself  to  the  Reverend  Father 
General,  on  his  behalf,  about  the  matter.  Our  hero 
received  this  answer  as  if  from  heaven.  It  inspired 
him  with  such  confidence  in  the  accomphshment  of 
his  design,  that  ever  after,  neither  the  frequent  at- 
tacks of  sickness  to  which  he  was  subject,  nor  the 
violent  tempests  he  experienced  on  his  voyage  to 
Japan,  nor  the  delays  occasioned  by  the  most  vexa- 
tious circumstances,  could  shake  him. 

The  young  man  did  not  long  enjoy  the  pious  con- 
versation of  the  venerable  Father  Reahni ;  for  he 
was  called  to  Naples  to  prosecute  his  studies.  How- 
ever, the  society  of  the  angehc  Aloysius  Gonzaga, 
whom  he  found  here,  and  whose  example  must  have 
influenced  his  heart  at  that  decisive  moment,  more 
than  compensated  him  for  this  loss.  He  was  just 
finishing  his  novitiate  and  preparing  to  consecrate 
himself  to  God  by  perpetual  vows  ;  and,  to  crown  his 
fervor,  the  feast  of  the  Nativity  of  our  Lord  was  the 
day  set  apart  for  this  solemn  act.  Who  can  express 
the  thoughts  that  then  animated  this  magnanimous 
soul  ?  With  what  love  did  he  promise  unto  Jesus  to 
live  and  die  for  his  sake  ? 


^  We  have  here  a  just  idea  of  "perinde  ac  cadaver,"  "ut  bacil- 
lus," other  strong-  expressions  which  malevolence  has  frequently 
exaggerated  and  worked  upon. 


62  LIFE   OF   THE 


IV. — The  Student's  Twofold  Pkogress. 

To  tlie  two  years'  novitiate  in  tlie  Society  of  Jesus 
succeed  the  studies  preparatory  to  tlie  priesthood 
and  other  employments,  interrupted  generally  by 
some  5^ears  devoted  to  .teaching.  Those  who  em- 
brace this  life  at  an  early  age  have  the  advantage  of 
being  thoroughly  formed  and  fitted  for  the  various 
duties  of  the  apostolic  calling.  With  this  view,  as 
we  have  seen,  Spinola  was  sent  to  Naj)les.  There  he 
studied  philosophy,  and  probably  applied  himself  too 
closely,  when  he  was  taken  with  a  distressing  cough 
and  raising  of  blood.  Anxious  for  his  health,  the 
superiors  omitted  nothing.  They  decided  to  send 
him  to  a  more  healthy  climate  to  finish  his  studies. 
On  his  way  to  Milan  he  spent  some  time  in  Rome,  in 
order  to  follow  the  lectures  of  the  celebrated  mathe- 
matician, Father  Clavius. 

At  Milan,  care  and  the  influence  of  a  more  genial 
climate  enabled  him  to  complete  his  course  of  philos- 
ophy at  the  college  of  Brera,  and  even  to  teach  a 
class  there  for  a  year.  He  passed  the  following 
years  either  in  the  study  of  theology,  or  in  teaching 
mathematics,  for  which  he  had  a  special  taste. 

The  saintly  student  comprehended  full  well  the 
important  place  which  studies  hold  in  the  plan  of 
St.  Ignatius.  Besides,  he  knew  from  the  testimony 
of  St.  Francis  Xavier  that  none  but  men  profoundly 
learned  and  skilled  in  controversy,  were  fit  for  the 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  63 

Japanese  mission/  He  gave  himself  with  all  the  ar- 
dor inspired  by  his  attachment  to  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  to  the  work  which  had  become  his  special  vo- 
cation. Moreover,  as  he  was  endowed  with  remark- 
able talents,  and  above  all,  with  a  quick  and  accurate 
judgment,  his  success  kept  pace  with  his  zeal,  so 
much  so,  that  when  he  had  completed  his  studies 
he  was  appointed  by  his  superiors  to  defend  publicly 
some  theses  in  theology. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  young  religious  under  an- 
other aspect,  or  rather  see  how  he  joined  science  to 
virtue  as  required  by  St.  Ignatius,  giving  due  prefer- 
ence to  the  latter  as  being  superior.  For  him  sci- 
ence was  not  the  end,  but  a  means  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  attain  the  real  end  of  the  Society  of  Jesus, 
that  is  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  souls. 
His  companions  formed  no  mistaken  judgment  on 
this  point,  and  when  after  his  death  they  were  ques- 
tioned in  regard  to  his  conduct,  the  unanimous  dec- 
larations of  all  exhibited  a  finished  picture  of 
religious  perfection  ;  constant  fervor,  unflinching  de- 
votedness,  fidelity  to  the  least  rules,  and  untiring 
patience.  His  virtue  had  nothing  fitful  or  too  excep- 
tional in  it ;  his  zeal  was  regulated  and  kept  within 

'  I  think  it  of  the  last  importance  to  send  here  men  of  superior 
merit,  possessed  of  virtue,  tried  virtue,  and  more  than  ordinary  sci- 
entific attainments,  which  may  afterwards  gain  them  admission  to 
the  Japanese  academies.  This  mission  requires.men  equally  learned 
and  virtuous.  .  .  able  dialecticians  .  .  quick  to  follow  up 
their  adversaries  v.'hen  they  try  to  escape,  &c. — St.  Francis  Xavier  to 
St.  Ignatius  and  Father  Rodriguez  :  1552. 


64:  LIFE    OF   THE 

due  bounds,  but  for  this  very  reason  lie  had  but 
greater  decision  and  energy  for  conceiving  and  ac- 
complishing great  designs.  Such  perfection  is  hardly 
met  with  in  isolated  cases  ;  it  is  the  fruit  of  commu- 
nity life,  and  is  developed  in  a  singular  manner  by 
the  reciprocal  influence  of  generous  hearts.  As 
already  remarked,  our  Lord  had  conferred  a  favor  of 
this  nature  upon  Blessed  Charles  Spinola,  in  giving 
him  a  Father  Kealini  as  spiritual  director,  and  a  St. 
Aloysius  as  living  model.  What  a  sight !  What  an 
incentive  must  not  the  meeting  of  St.  Aloysius  and 
Blessed  Charles  have  afforded  the  whole  scholasticate 
at  Naples !  The  latter  highly  felicitated  himself  on 
having  lived  so  intimately  with  his  saintly  companion, 
and  towards  the  end  of  his  life,  in  a  letter  to  the  Eev- 
erend  Father  General,  he  still  recalled  it  with  grati- 
tude. In  fact,  these  two  great  souls  influenced  one 
another,  and  the  Blessed  Charles  lost  not  a  single 
trait  of  the  model  he  had  before  his  eyes,  and  es- 
pecially did  he  adopt  whatever  characterized  his 
saintly  companion :  a  more  ardent  devotion  to  the 
most  holy  Eucharist,  a  closer  union  with  Jesus,  a 
longing  for  labors  and  sufferings.  A  few  particulars 
will  fully  portray  his  student  life. 

Devotional  exercises  are  regulated  by  rule  with 
some  severity  for  the  religious  of  the  Society  of  Jesus 
during  their  studies  ;  spiritual  advancement  is  always 
a  capital  point  with  them,  but  in  a  body  essentially 
militant,  science  must  also  have  her  rights,  which  the 
Superiors  are  directed  to  maintain.  These  regula- 
tions  the  holy  student   respected,   but  he   gave  to 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  65 

praj-er  a  large  part  of  the  time  left  at  his  own  dis- 
posal and  communicated  as  frequently  as  he  could 
obtain  permission.  Hours  of  recreation  and  holidays 
he  spent  with  a  few  chosen  companions,  and  like  St. 
Aloysius,  he  infused  into  them  a  ravishing  unction. 
If  in  conversation  the  word  martyr  or  cross  was  men- 
tioned, he  beheld  himself  already  in  Japan,  and  then 
his  language,  his  gestures  even  became  so  animated 
as  to  influence  all  hearts. 

Love  for  Jesus  cannot  exist  without  a  similar  feel- 
ing for  his  holy  Mother.  Blessed  Charles  venerated 
Mar  J  with  filial  love,  and  on  all  occasions  manifested 
this  disposition  so  clearly  that,  notwithstanding  his 
youth,  he  was  for  four  years  appointed  to  direct  the 
sodality  at  the  Brera  College.  He  even  invented  a 
new  method  of  honoring  her  by  a  crown,  which  re- 
calls the  benefits  of  which  Divine  Maternity  w^as  for 
Mary  herself  the  blessed  source  :  the  crown  has  been 
preserved,  and  is  another  proof  of  the  charming  sim- 
plicity that  is  the  privilege  of  pure  hearts. 

Union  with  Jesus  presupposes  mortification.-  Our 
Saint  derived  this  axiom  from  St.  Ignatius,  and  he 
practised  it  beyond  what  human  prudence  would 
have  permitted.  But  besides  ordinary  motives,  he 
was  impelled  by  the  ever  present  thought  of  a  pain- 
ful apostleship  and  the  necessity  of  preparing  for  its 
severest  hardships.  He  was  unsparing,  through  the 
confidence  he  entertained  in  his  future  mission.  In 
delicate  health,  still  enfeebled  by  sickness  and  hem- 
orrhage, he  chastised  his  body  with  fasting  and 
scourges.     In   this,   however,  some   moderation  was 


66  LIFE   OF   THE 

requisite  ;  but  in  tlie  matter  of  humiliation  and  inte- 
rior mortification,  he  was  unsparing.  Here  we  touch 
on  the  most  dehcate  labor  of  the  spiritual  life,  a  labor 
to  be  properly  appreciated  only  by  souls  seriously 
engaged  in  the  ways  of  perfection.  To  possess  the 
most  precious  advantages  of  genius  without  ever  em- 
ploying them  ;  enjoy  the  reputation  attached  to  great 
talents  without  clinging  to  it ;  flee  marks  of  esteem  ; 
rejoice  at  marks  of  contempt  ;  in  a  v/ord,  voluntarily 
and  before  the  eyes  of  the  world  assume  the  livery  of 
Jesus  buffeted  and  crucified ;  such  was  Blessed 
Charles's  stud}^,  such  his  preparation  for  the  mission 
of  Japan.  He  wisely  di'eaded  every  aliment  to 
vanity :  the  least  self-complacency  would  have  been, 
in  his  eyes,  a  fraud  upon  his  Divine  Master's  glory. 
On  this  point  nothing  escaped  his  vigilant  and  deli- 
cate conscience.  Examining  one  day  the  exercise 
book  of  one  of  his  pupils,  he  found  his  name  men- 
tioned in  connection  w^itli  some  mathematical  explan- 
ation, and  at  once  removed  this  mark  of  esteem.  We 
shall  hereafter  behold  him  support  with  angelic  pa- 
tience the  grossest  insults  from  men  v/hom  it  depend- 
ed on  him  alone  to  punish. 

In  this  daily  exercise  of  apostolic  virtues  the 
thought  of  his  loved  mission  never  left  him  ;  it  ruled 
his  whole  life ;  and  the  better  to  prepare  for  it,  he 
awaited  only  the  close  of  his  studies  to  give  himself 
entirely  to  zeal  for  souls.  In  the  course  of  the  scho- 
lastic year  he  seldom  had  occasions  ;  but  in  vacation 
he  visited  the  hamlets  to  preach  the  elements  of 
Christian  faith  and  life  to  the  country  people.     This 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  67 

eiiiploj^ment  was  liis  cleliglit.  He  retained,  indeed, 
his  preference  for  Japan  as  a  field  of  labor,  but  if 
obliged  to  remain  in  Europe,  he  proposed,  as  a  wor- 
thy son  of  St.  Ignatius,  to  devote  his  whole  life,  if 
his  superiors  consented,  to  catechetical  instructions. 
Yet  his  zeal  w^as  well  ordered,  he  extended  it  to  all 
who  approached  him ;  but  to  the  students  and  soda- 
lists  confided  to  him,  he  was  all  care,  all  activity. 
Not  satisfied  with  general  exhortations  to  all,  he  had 
appointed  hours  for  each,  and  already  practised  the 
difficult  art  of  directing  souls  and  curing  spiritual 
maladies.  With  the  more  valiant  he  went  further  ; 
he  sometimes  took  them  to  the  hospitals,  to  initiate 
them  directly  in  the  most  arduous  works  of  charity. 
His  great  care  produced  wonderful  effects  on  the  still 
feeble  hearts  of  youth  ;  young  men  of  the  highest 
nobility,  braving  all  human  respect,  performed  acts 
of  humility  and  mortification  before  the  very  eyes  of 
their  fellow  students ;  others  renounced  earthly  ad- 
vantages, to  devote  their  lives  thenceforth  only  to 
Jesus  in  the  obscurity  of  the  cloister. 

V. — His  Fiest  Mission  as  a  Peiest. 

The  time  had  come  when,  according  to  the  usages 
of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  the  Blessed  Charles  was  to 
be  promoted  to  the  priesthood.  For  ten  years  he 
had  been  preparing  for  it :  but  on  the  approach  of 
this  awful  dignity,  he  redoubled  his  fervor.  He  ap- 
plied himself  first  to  order  wisely  all  that  bears  more 
directly  on  the  sacerdotal  life.     In  order  to  maintain 


68  LIFE    OF   THE 

the  respect  and  attention  becoming  the  recitation  of 
the  breviary,  he  resolved  to  fulfil  that  duty  kneeling, 
and  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  even  amid  the  hard- 
ships of  his  Japanese  mission,  he  was  always  faithful 
to  this  early  adopted  practice.  Who  can  describe 
the  ardor  of  his  devotion,  the  tenderness  of  his  love 
at  the  very  thought  of  the  august  sacrifice  ?  Let  us 
judge  by  his  care  in  purifying  his  conscience.  He 
confessed  several  times  a  week,  and  it  is  especially 
noteworthy  that  in  avowing  the  slightest  imperfec- 
tions he  was  agitated  by  such  violent  grief  that  his 
tears  flowed  abundantly,  and  his  sobs  and  groans 
were  heard  even  in  adjacent  rooms. 

This  was  in  1594.  Kaised  to  the  priesthood  and 
on  the  point  of  completing  his  studies,  Charles  had 
some  hope  of  being  sent  to  the  Indies.  He  renewed 
his  request  in  writing.  As  his  only  answer  he  was 
sent  to  Cremona,  in  company  with  some  other 
Fathers. 

The  work  that  awaited  the  evangeHcal  labors  in 
that  city  comprised  what  we  know  now  as  a  Mission  ; 
frequent  and  popular  sermons,  an  earnest  exhorta- 
tion to  penance,  elementary  explanation  of  the  Chris- 
tian doctrine,  public  prayers,  edifying  manifestations, 
reform  of  abuses,  general  confessions  and  commu- 
nions, visits  to  the  obstinate,  associations  for  perse- 
verance, etc. 

Father  Charles  entered  on  these  exercises  with  all 
the  ardor  of  an  apostle,  and  what  is  rare  in  young 
missionaries,  acted  with  the  prudence  of  a  veteran. 
He  at  first  took  as  his  share  the  open  air  preaching 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOL A.  69 

and  the  catechising  ;  and  when  God  had  blessed. his 
efforts,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  establishment 
of  two  sodalities.  He  succeeded,  though  not  without 
difficulty ;  but  this  was  only  the  prelude  to  a  far 
more  arduous  and  important  work. 

There  was  then  at  Cremona,  a  convent,  where  the 
nuns  had  swerved  from  the  prescriptions  of  their  rule, 
and  where  especially  the  most  essential  practice  of 
the  vow  of  poverty  had  fallen  into  disuse.  Each  nun 
enjoyed  her  revenue  and  spent  it  according  to  her 
fancy.  Disorders  of  this  kind,  now,  thank  God, 
known  to  us  only  by  history,  are,  as  all  holy  reformers 
admit,  the  most  difficult  to  eradicate.  Nevertheless  the 
young  missionary  succeeded  so  completely  that  the 
nuns  bound  themselves  by  a  solemn  promise  to  main- 
tain poverty,  in  all  its  rigor,  for  the  time  to  come. 
They  took  this  pledge  in  the  presence  of  a  delegate 
of  the  Bishop,  and  to  give  it  still  greater  stability, 
they  solicited  the  Bishop  himself,  as  apostolic  nuncio 
to  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  to  affix  the  seal  of  his 
authority.  The  Bishop  w^as  so  struck  with  the  result 
and  so  grateful  to  the  Society,  that  he  at  once  took 
steps  to  found  a  college  at  Cremona,  and  did  not  rest 
till  he  had  secured  it  a  suitable  revenue.  Thus  the 
spiritual  good  done  to  a  few  nuns  by  the  zealous  mis- 
sionary became  a  source  of  sanctification  for  thou- 
sands. 


70  LIFE    OF    THE 

VI. — Peepakations  for  his  Departure  for  Japan. 
The  Cremona  mission  was  but  an  essay  of  the  zeal 
and  powers  of  the  Blessed  Charles.  As  it  revealed  in 
him  the  most  valuable  qualities  for  distant  missions, 
his  superiors  asked  no  further  proof,  and  gave  him 
orders  to  prepare  to  set  out  for  Japan.  At  this  intel- 
ligence his  joy  knew  no  bounds.  A  laborious  apostle- 
ship  crowned  by  martyrdom  !  This  was  the  fulfil- 
ment of  all  his  desires,  the  dream  of  his  youth,  the 
aim  of  his  studies  and  all  his  labor.  Without  losing 
time  in  superfluous  preparations  or  farewell  visits,  he 
proceeded  to  Milan,  escaped  from  the  tears  of  his 
kindred,  and  arrived  at  Genoa  to  take  the  first  vessel 
sailins:  to  the  Indies.  His  friends  and  some  members 
of  the  family  pursued  him  to  that  port  to  prevent  his 
departure.  The  details  of  this  opposition  will  reveal 
completely  the  disposition  of  the  future  apostle. 

"Why,"  they  said,  "  this  distant  mission  field?  Let 
him  devote  himself — exhaust  himself  even  for  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  souls  ;  but  why  go 
to  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  seek  what  offers  here? 
Does  not  well-ordered  charitj^  require  that  care  should, 
above  all,  be  taken  of  those  connected  to  you  by  so 
many  ties  ?"  "  These,"  replied  the  Blessed  Charles^ 
"  have  every  succor  at  hand,  while  the  others  are 
completely  ignorant  of  our  holy  religion  ;  I  wish  to 
labor  to  save  these  abandoned  souls.  To  this  all- 
sufficient  motive,  I  may  add  others  personal  to  me." 
"And  may  we  know  them?"  "  Certainly,  but  do  not 
be  offended.  This  Japanese  mission  wdll  have  a  two- 
fold influence  for   mv  benefit :    it   will  remove   the 


1 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  Yl 

clanger  resulting  from  too  frequent  intercourse  with 
the  members  of  my  family,  and  enable  me  to  escape 
any  honorable  position  that  my  superiors  might  im- 
pose upon  me." 

This  language  betrayed  a  will  too  solidly  founded 
on  reason  to  be  easily  shaken  ;  they  withdrew,  but  it 
was  only  to  return  ere  long  to  the  attack.  At  last 
Blessed  Charles  could  feel  that  he  was  delivered  from 
all  this  importunity  ;  the  anchor  was  weighed,  the 
vessel  left  the  port,  but  it  suddenly  struck  a  rock  and 
had  to  put  back  for  repairs.  In  the  postponement  of 
the  voyage  by  superior  force,  his  kindred  and  friends 
would  fain  see  an  indication  of  the  wdll  of  heaven. 
They  suggested  it  to  him,  and  the  struggle  was  re- 
newed. But  Blessed  Charles,  more  decided  than 
ever,  beheld  in  these  embarrassments  of  every  kind, 
only  trials  by  which  God  was  preparing  him  for  his 
mission.  At  the  very  time  that  he  repressed  so  con- 
stantly the  allurements  of  earthly  affections,  he  had 
to  conquer  a  very  different  repugnance  that  it  is  also 
important  to  note. 

When  on  the  point  of  embarking  for  Lisbon,  the 
holy  missionary  had  made  only  strictly  necessary 
preparations,  confiding  in  Providence  for  the  rest ; 
but  his  kindred,  to  give  a  last  proof  of  their  attach- 
ment, had  warmly  commended  him  to  the  captain  of 
the  galley,  to  secure  him  a  good  place  and  treatment. 
Novv^  God  permitted  that  the  result  was  just  the  re- 
verse. By  an  inexplicable  neglect,  the  highly  recom- 
mended passenger  was  placed  away  down  in  the  hold, 
amomr  sailors  and  servants.     To  crown  his  mortifica- 


72  LIFE    OF   THE 

tion,  these  rude  men  lost  all  respect  for  Lis  priestly 
character,  and,  during  the  whole  night  that  preceded 
his  sailing,  he  was  subjected  to  the  coarsest  raillery. 
It  was  surely  a  severe  trial,  whicli  he  might  hare  ar- 
rested by  a  word  ;  he  preferred  to  submit,  bearing  it 
not  only  with  patience,  and  without  manifesting  any 
painful  emotion,  but  with  sentiments  of  joy  that  be- 
long only  to  souls  crucified  to  the  world  with  Christ. 
It  struck  even  these  insolent  men,  and  it  was  from 
them  that  the  details  of  that  night  were  learned. 

Such  acts  are  not  isolated  ;  this  heroism  is  acquired 
only  by  degrees ;  it  required  assiduous  meditation 
and  frequent  exercise.  Blessed  Charles  had  another 
special  motive :  he  saw  in  it  a  preparation  for  martyr- 
dom. More  than  ever  did  he  nourish  this  thought, 
and  devote  to  it  his  unavoidable  leisure  at  Genoa. 
His  last  dispositions  may  be  seen  in  the  following 
letter,  written  from  Milan,  December  6,  1593,  to  Fa- 
ther Pompilius  Lambertengo,  who  was  probably  en- 
gaged in  collecting  documents  relating  to  the  martyrs 
of  the  Society.  We  cite  the  principal  passage  of  this 
letter : 

"  These  last  days,  not  to  lose  time,  I  have  collected 
a  Litany  of  our  members  who  have  thus  far  shed  their 
blood  for  the  faith.  In  Father  Eibadaneira's  Spanish 
life  of  Father  Borgia,  I  have  found  the  long-sought 
names  of  all  the  forty  drowned  by  the  heretics  in  the 
sea  through   hatred  of  religion.'     I  also  found   the 

^  Blessed  Ignatius  Azevedo  and  liis  tliirty-nine  companions,  put  to    ^ 
death  by  tiie  Hnguenots,  when  on  their  way  to  Brazil,  in  1570. 
They  were  beatified  in  1854. 


BLESSED    CHAELES    SPINOLA.  73 

names  of  more  tliey  put  to  death,  for  the  same  cause, 
in  the  island  of  Florida.'  I  send  these  to  you  that 
you  may  have  the  complete  list,  and,  mindful  of  me, 
commend  me  to  their  prayers  that  I  may  imitate  their 
virtues.  .  .  .  What  does  Providence  design  me  to 
do  ?  If  we  cannot  suffer,  it  will  at  least  delight  us  to 
see  what  others  have  undergone,  and  inflame  and 
prepare  ourselves  by  their  fire.  Oh,  when  will  that 
time  come  !  O  the  day,  O  the  hour,  O  the  moment ! 
O  Father  Pompilius,  what  consolation  even  to  think 
in  one's  heart  of  the  punishment  of  death  endured 
for  Christ !  What  then  will  death  itself  be  !  "  He 
concludes  :  *'  Your  Heverence  must  repay  my  precious 
gift  by  a  visit  to  the  most  sacred  nail  of  our  Lord's 
cross,  and  there  pray  that  it  may  pierce  my  heart,  and 
retain  it  fixed  at  His  feet  on  the  cross." 

This  last  trait  fully  pictures  the  future  apostle.  A 
sincere  and  simple-hearted  devotion  is  always  worthy 
of  respect,  but  it  especially  becomes  great  souls.  This 
alliance  of  simplicity  in  sentiment  and  sublimity  in 
action  excites  admiration  and  wins  all  hearts.  This  is 
the  character  of  apostolic  sanctity.  Blessed  Charles, 
like  a  John,  an  Augustine,  a  Bernard,  a  Xavier,  drank 
with  joy  from  the  Saviour's  fountains.  It  only  re- 
mained to  pour  forth  from  his  heart  the  superabund- 
ance of  his  love. 

^  Tlieee  were  Father  Peter  Martinez,  martyred  in  Florida,  near  St. 
Augustine,  Father  Jolin  Baptist  Segura,  and  Louis  Quiros,  with  Ga- 
briel Gomez,  Sancho  de  Zevallos,  Scholastics  and  Brothers  Mendez, 
Desolis,  Redoudo  and  Linares,  put  to  death  in  1570,  near  Chesa- 
peake Bay. 


74  LIFE   OF  THE 


PAET    II. 

VOYAGES  OF  BLESSED  CHARLES  SPINOLA. 
I. — His  Apostleship  at  Sea. 

God  seems  to  have  designed  to  give  us  in  tlie  per- 
son of  Blessed  Charles  an  example  of  all  the  obstacles 
and  vexations  that  can  attend  the  apostolic  career. 
He  called  him  to  Japan,  yet  ordained  that  he  should 
reach  it  only  after  two  years  of  danger  and  trial. 
Portugal,  Brazil,  Porto  PJco,  and  England  Avere  to 
witness  his  zeal  and  constancy,  his  virtue  was  to 
shine  in  the  most  widely  distant,  and  extraordinary 
situations.  And  that  no  part  of  this  important  in- 
struction should  be  lost,  especially  on  evangelical 
laborers,  we  are  made  acquainted  with  the  details  of 
his  adventures  by  the  apostle  himself.  He  will  not 
write  Memoirs  :  that  his  modesty  would  not  permit, 
but  he  will  do  as  most  missionaries  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus  have  done  from  the  time  of  St.  Francis  Xavier 
in  a  spirit  of  humble  submission,  he  will  render  to 
his  Superior  an  account  of  his  apostolic  voyage.' 


1  To  tMs  practice  we  owe  the  Jesuit  "  Relations  "  so  important 
now  to  American  history,  as  well  as  tlie  "  Edifying  and  Curious 
Letters,"  whicli  have  excited  the  admiration  of  the  very  enemies  of 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  75 

"It  is  my  duty,"  lie  wrote  to  Father  Aqiiaviva, 
then  governing  the  Society  of  Jesus,  *'  to  give  an 
account  to  your  Paternity  of  all  that  concerns  our 
long  and  painful  navigation,  and  I  willingly  fulfil  it. 
If  this  narrative  excites  your  just  compassion  for 
your  sons,  deign  also  to  thank  God,  with  them,  for 
so  many  favors,  and  to  obtain  for  them  grace  to 
suffer  still  more  for  Christ." 

What  were  the  sufferings  of  which  he  speaks  so 
simply  to  his  Superior,  and  what  was  his  conduct 
during  these  trials,  in  the  apostolic,  novitiate,  to  use 
his  own  expression?     His  account  will  inform  us. 

We  left  the  holy  missionary  at  Genoa,  longing  for 
the  moment  when  he  was  to  start  for  Japan.  At 
length  all  is  ready ;  the  signal  for  departure  is  given. 
They  steer  gaily  towards  Spain,  and  after  encounter- 
ing a  storm,  arrive  at  Barcelona.  This  was  only 
the  first  station  of  this  interminable  voyage :  the 
second  portion  w^as  more  painful.  At  this  time  su- 
premacy on  the  sea  was  held  by  the  Portuguese  ; 
India  was  a  Portuguese  possession,  and  the  surest 
if  not  the  only  means  of  reaching  it  was  to  sail  from 
Lisbon.  No  time  was  to  be  lost,  if  they  wished  to 
arrive  at  this  latter  place  before  the  departure  of  the 

Christianity,  and  to  -whicli  tlie  Annals  of  tlie  Propagation  of  the 
Faith  are  professedly  a  continuation.  St.  Francis  Xavier's  letters 
contain  most  just  and  exalted  views  on  the  ajjostolic  ministry; 
mary  others,  such  as  those  relating  to  China,  are  indispensable  to 
history.  The  value  of  the  letters  of  Father  de  Smet  in  our  own  day, 
is  too  well  known  to  need  more  than  a  reference  here 


76  LIFE    OF   THE 

India  fleet.  The  Blessed  Charles  Spinola  was  con- 
sequently obliged  to  cross  the  whole  Peninusla  on 
foot  and  with  all  expedition.  Bnt  the  desire  of  see- 
ing his  beloved  Mission  lightened  the  way,  and  he 
entered  Lisbon  at  the  moment  when  all  the  prepara- 
tions for  departure  were  completed. 

There  were  eight  missionaries  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus  destined  for  the  same  place.  To  turn  the 
tedious  voyage  to  advantage,  they  took  two  different 
vessels,  three  in  one  and  five  in  the  other.  Father 
Spinola  was  among  these  latter,  as  well  as  Father 
Jerome  de  Angelis,  who  shared  his  labors  and  mar- 
tyrdom, and  Father  James  de  Vicariis,  a  venerable 
man,  who  died  before  reaching  his  Mission.  On  the 
10th  of  April,  1596,  the  two  ships,  accompanied  by 
four  others  without  counting  the  smaller  vessels, 
sailed  out  of  port,  and  the  passengers  for  the  last 
time,  as  they  thought,  saluted  the  shores  of  Europe. 
There  are  few,  even  among  the  Saints,  who,  in  similar 
circumstances,  do  not  experience  some  oppression  at 
heart. 

The  Blessed  Father  wrote  as  follows  to  the  General 
of  the  Society : 

"  In  proportion  as  we  receded  from  land  our  hearts 
overflowed  with  joy.  We  seemed  at  that  moment  to 
die  entirely  to  the  world ;  we  were  severing  ourselves, 
even  bodily,  from  our  relatives,  our  friends,  and  our 
acquaintances." 

The  voyage  commenced  most  favorably.  In  a  few 
days  the  fleet  was  off  the  coast  of  Guinea,  and,  on  the 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  T7 

26tli  of  May  it  crossed  tlie  line.  During  a  month  and 
a  lialf  there  were,  however,  intervals  of  dead  calm 
and  violent  winds.  They  even  encountered  serious 
dangers,  but  all  this  only  contributed  to  the  pious  de- 
signs of  the  missionaries.  The  crew  was  so  free  from 
anxiety  that  some  regular  religious  exercises  were 
established,  and  yet  there  was  care  sufficient  to  in- 
duce them  to  attend  them  eagerly.  Twice  a  day,  the 
soldiers  and  sailors  assembled  to  hear  the  Christian 
doctrine  explained.  The  chanting  of  the  psalms  and 
hymns  by  hundreds  of  voices  in  the  immense  solitude 
of  the  ocean,  rose  up  to  heaven  with  a  grand  and 
solemn  effect ;  numerous  confessions  were  heard  pre- 
vious to  the  festivals  of  the  Ascension  and  Pentecost ; 
the  authority  of  the  Fathers  was  universally  respected. 
Father  Spinola,  in  particular,  had  acquired  such  an 
ascendency  over  these  rude  beings,  that  he  suc- 
ceeded one  day  in  allaying  a  violent  outburst  of 
passion. 

"A  quarrel  had  arisen,"  writes  he,  "for  I  know  not 
what  reason,  between  the  soldiers  and  sailors ;  they 
w^ere  assembled  in  two  parties,  armed  with  oars  and 
swords,  and  ready  to  imbrue  their  hands  in  each 
other's  blood.  I  threw  myself  into  their  midst  and 
succeeded  in  making  them  lay  down  their  arms,  to 
the  great  satisfaction  of  everybody." 

The  moment  was  at  hand  when  the  Fathers  were 
to  regard  themselves  as  fortunate  in  possessing  the 
confidence  of  the  crew  and  passengers.  For  some 
time  past,  they  had  been  shaping  their  course  for 


78  LIFE   OF   THE 

Brazil,  hoping  to  meet  with  winds  which  would  carry 
their  vessel  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  they  daily 
traversed  as  much  as  two  degrees  in  this  direction. 
On  the  16th  of  June,  the  tropic  of  Capricorn  was 
crossed,  and  the  vessel  was  turned  in  the  direction  of 
the  Cape. 

They  were  already  reckoning  the  time  that  mnst 
elapse  before  arriving  there  :  with  the  favorable  wind 
then  blowing,  said  they,  no  more  than  about  eight 
days  would  be  required  ;  and  they  were  preparing  to 
encounter  the  storms  that  prevail  in  these  regions, 
when  a  most  serious  accident  blasted  all  their  hopes. 
One  evening  when  about  midway  between  Brazil  and 
the  Cape,  a  violent  wind  suddenly  broke  the  rudder, 
thereby  causing  indescribable  confusion.  At  first, 
they  thought  themselves  irretrievably^  lost,  and  many, 
under  this  impression,  hastened  to  reconcile  them- 
selves with  God.  It  was  only  later  that  some  of  the 
others  followed  their  example,  being  subdued,  as  it 
were,  by  the  accumulation  of  evils.  For,  if  the  ves- 
sel did  not  sink,  it  remained  unable  to  proceed, 
thereby  leaving  the  crew  a  prey  to  that  most  un- 
healthy climate.  A  sort  of  pestilence  soon  broke  out 
on  board ;  there  were  numerous  cases  of  hemorrhage ; 
and  still,  as  if  God  were  desirous  of  manifesting  his 
merciful  views,  there  were  only  about  ten  deaths  in 
all.  The  missionaries,  together  with  the  succors  of 
their  holy  ministry,  lavished  every  species  of  conso- 
lation on  all  these  sufferers,  on  those  whom  this 
state  of  affairs  plunged  into  the  deepest  melancholy, 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  79 

and  on  those  in  particular  ^vllo  lamented  the  ruin  of 
their  commercial  hopes. 

Meanwhile,  the  leaders  of  the  expedition  delibe- 
rated on  the  plan  to  be  adopted  in  this  juncture  of 
affairs.  The  account  given  by  Father  Spinola  pre- 
sents a  sufficiently  striking  picture  of  what  frequently 
takes  place  in  more  important  assemblages.  They 
were  divided  on  plans  which  were  equally  impracti- 
cable. "  Let  us  return  to  Lisbon,"  said  the  captain. 
"  What !"  answered  another,  "  without  a  rudder,  ven- 
ture to  undertake  so  long  a  voyage  ?  Impossible  !" 
"  It  is  as  easy  to  continue  our  voyage  to  India  as  to 
return  to  Lisbon."  In  fact,  in  either  plan,  a  new 
rudder  was  required,  and  they  resolved  on  makhig 
one  forthwith ;  but  neither  the  necessary  workmen 
nor  iron  could  be  found.  They  supplied  the  defi- 
ciency as  best  they  could,  by  means  of  two  large 
pieces  of  wood  placed  astern  one  on  each  side ;  and 
thus,  with  great  care,  they  were  able  to  steer  in 
favorable  weather.  And  yet,  to  accomplish  even 
this,  the  assistance  of  the  soldiers  had  to  be  called  in, 
and  they  were  obliged  to  shape  their  course  once 
more  for  Brazil. 

The  unavoidable  delay  occasioned  by  this,  the 
general  discouragement,  the  additional  labor  imposed 
upon  the  men  untouched  by  sickness,  all  these  things 
contributed  to  the  rapid  spread  of  the  disease.  Pro- 
visions, too,  began  to  run  out ;  they  lacked  medicines 
as  well  as  men.  The  vessel  became  a  pest-house ; 
and  at  one  time  there  were  only  ten  men  fit  for  duty 
on  board.     The  Fathers,   too,   had    been    attacked. 


so  LIFE    OF   THE 

Father  Spinola  escaped  with  a  few  clays'  illness, 
wliich,  to  him,  were  clays  of  rest ;  after  which,  with 
new  devote dness,  he  resumed  his  attendance  on  felie 
sick.  "With  no  other  assistance  than  that  of  Father 
de  Angeiis,  he  went  among  the  sick,  affording  them 
such  assistance  as  was  indispensable. 

In  this  extremity,  what  .was  to  become  of  the  ship, 
left  almost  without  any  guidance  to  unexperienced 
hands?  But  Father  Spinola  ceased  not  to  pray. 
"  We  w^ere  celebrating  the  anniversary  of  that  day 
on  which,  many  years  before,  Father  Rudolph  (Aqua- 
viva)  had  suffered  death  for  Jesus  Christ,  and  on 
which  forty  other  missionaries  of  the  Society  had 
met  with  the  same  fate,  for  whom  I  had  always  felt  a 
great  devotion.  Then  recollecting  that  it  was  into 
this  very  same  part  of  the  ocean  that  they  had  been 
cast  by  heretics,  in  hatred  of  the  faith,  they  were 
ever  before  my  mind."  The  following  night,  the 
vessel  w^as  amidst  the  breakers  and  on  the  point  of 
wreck,  when  an  apparently  fortuitous  circumstance 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  crew  to  their  imminent 
danger :  a  suspicious-looking  craft  had  come  in  sight, 
and,  whilst  watching  it,  they  became  aware  of  a  more 
serious  peril.  A  slight  impulse  was  that  instant 
given  to  the  ship,  and,  instead  of  being  wrecked,  it 
entered  All  Saints'  Bay  on  the  15th  of  July.  Three 
months  consequently  had  elapsed  since  their  depar- 
ture from  Lisbon. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  in  the  city  that  a  ship 
destined  for  the  Indies  had  arrived  in  port,  the 
Fa: hers  of.  the  college  hastened  to  ^^elcome  the  mis- 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  SI 

sionaries  with  that  charity  which  has  ever  united  tho 
members  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  Under  their  care, 
the  sick  began  to  recover  their  strength  and  vigor ; 
even  Father  de  Vicariis,  who  had  suffered  extremely 
during  the  voyage,  seemed  to  have  improved  consid- 
erably ;  but  this  worthy  priest  was  ripe  for  heaven. 
He  died  a  few  days  after,  greatly  regretted  by  all, 
especially  by  Father  Spinola,  who  lost  in  him  his 
most  valuable  assistant.  "  How  many  hours  wo 
passed  together  conversing  on  heavenly  things ! 
What  a  happ3^  influence  his  voice  and  example  ex- 
erted over  my  soul!  His  presence  alone  did  me 
good."  It  was  in  these  terms,  somewhat  later,  his 
sentiments  of  esteem  and  affection  for  this  Father 
overflowed  in  his  letter  to  the  Father  General ;  for,  at 
the  time,  he  was  occupied  with  the  care  of  the  sick 
and  innumerable  details  incident  upon  a  landing  un- 
der such  circumstances.  His  charity  extended  to 
everything ;  he  hesitated  not  to  descend  into  the 
hold  of  the  shij),  where  for  the  second  time  he  inhaled 
the  germs  of  disease.  He  was  troubled  with  nausea, 
dizziness  and  fainting  fits  ;  these  symptoms  were  cer- 
tainly discouraging,  but  still,  by  the  special  protec- 
tion of  God,  at  the  end  of  a  week,  he  was  able  to  re- 
sume his  occupations.  After  five  months  spent  in 
Brazil,  the  missionaries  once  more  started  for  the 
Indies  on  the  12th  of  December.  Their  ship  was  ac- 
companied out  of  port  by  several  other  vessels,  for 
the  most  part  Belgian,  which  were  soon  out  of  sight 
in  another  direction.  This  second  voyage  was  not 
more  fortunate  than  the  preceding  one.     Up  to  the 


82  LIFE   OF  THE 

montli  of  March,  tlieir  progress  was  slow  indeed,  but 
still  unattended  by  any  serious  accident.  But  at 
this  time  the  weather  became  threatening.  A  dead 
calm  prevailed,  meteors  seemed  to  fall,  and  all  the 
phenomena  announced  a  fearful  storm.  After  three 
days,  the  tempest  burst  in  all  its  fury,  covering  the 
vessel  with  enormous  waves.  Great  was  the  conster- 
sternation  ;  for  it  was  discovered  that  the  vessel  had 
sprung  a  leak,  and  that  there  were  already  nearly 
seven  feet  of  water  in  the  hold.  The  sails  were  at 
once  furled,  and  all  set  to  work  at  the  pumps  ;  search 
was  made  for  the  leak.  That  the  water  entered 
astern  was  all  that  could  be  clearly  made  out.  There 
was  no  direct  and  efficacious  remedy!  The  pumps 
had  to  be  kept  working  day  and  night.  Soldiers  and 
sailors  succeeded  each  other  without  interruption ; 
but  this  could  not  last.  Moreover,  the  vessel  was 
unable  to  resist  the  waves  ;  to  lighten  it,  eighty 
hogsheads  of  sugar  were  thrown  overboard,  and  it 
was  allowed  to  follow  the  direction  of  the  wind.  In 
this  manner  they  ran  a  hundred  leagues  in  constant 
danger  of  going  down  :  for  three  days,  they  remained, 
as  it  were,  suspended  by  a  thread  over  the  abyss ; 
"  and  this  time  again,"  writes  Father  Spinola,  "  we 
were  saved  by  the  intercession  of  our  holy  Martyrs, 
whom  I  ceased  not  to  invoke."  A  profound  impres- 
sion was  produced  upon  all  minds  by  having  death 
continually  before  their  eyes,  and  by  experiencing 
the  sensible  protection  of  Heaven.  Both  soldiers 
aud  sailors — those  rude  but  still  simple  and  upright 
men  —  recognized  the   intervention   of    Providence  : 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  83 

they  humbled  themselves  beneath  the  mighty  hand 
of  God  and  answered  his  appeal  by  a  sincere  return 
to  Him.  As  a  proof  of  this  may  be  adduced  the  fact 
that  those  who  were  unable  to  make  their  confession 
while  the  storm  lasted,  hastened  to  do  so,  when  no 
longer  urged  by  any  transitory  fear.  As  regarded 
the  missionaries,  they  were  only  too  happy  to  gather 
these  precious  fruits  of  salvation.  They  remained 
calm  and  resigned,  despite  the  most  terrible  priva- 
tions, and  making  themselves  all  to  all,  blessed  the 
designs  of  God. 

At  last  the  tempest  ceased,  and,  on  the  24th  of 
March,  the  vessel,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  the 
sailors,  came  in  sight  of  Porto  Eico.  As  they  were 
not  acquainted  with  the  coast  of  that  island,  they 
called  in  a  pilot  who  took  them  into  port  on  the  feast 
of  the  Annunciation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

II. — Mission  of  Porto  Kico. 

Porto  Eico,  one  of  the  first  conquests  of  the  Span- 
iards in  the  new  world,  is  one  of  the  Great  Antilles. 
It  covert  an  extent  of  fifty-four  leagues  by  twenty- 
four  ;  its  population,  however,  has  never  reached 
200,000  inhabitants.  At  the  time  it  was  visited  by 
our  missionaries,  the  population  was  divided  in  the 
proportion  of  about  four  negroes  to  one  white  man. 
The  island  contains  gold,  but  the  extraction  of  this 
mineral  w^as  regarded  as  too  difficult  and  expensive. 
The  Spaniards  generally  preferred  to  employ  their 
negro  slaves  on   sugar  plantations,  whose  products, 


84  LIFE    OF   THE 

owing  to  the  vast  extent  of  the  domains  of  the  house 
of  Austria,  found  a  good  market  in  Belgium  and  Ger- 
many. The  northern  extremity  of  the  island  is  par- 
ticularly suited  for  commercial  and  military  estab- 
lishments. The  sea  penetrating  into  the  land, 
describes  a  circuit  in  such  a  manner  as  to  form  a 
large  bay  which  encloses  within  its  bosom  a  small 
island,  on  which  is  built  the  city  of  San  Juan  de 
Porto  Bico.  This  is  the  capital  of  the  colony,  the 
residence  of  the  principal  civil,  military  and  ecclesi- 
astical authorities. 

The  missionaries  w^ere  received  by  the  bishop  and 
governor  with  the  consideration  due  to  their  character 
and  situation.  They  only  availed  themselves  of  this 
regard  to  make  themselves  useful.  They  lodged  at 
the  hospital,  and  lived  on  the  food  furnished  them 
by  the  charity  of  the  faithful,  persuaded  that  here 
especially  hearts  were  to  be  brought  to  God  by  the 
most  austere  disinterestedness.  Enough  has  been 
said  about  slave  countries.  Some  historians,  but 
particularly  some  novelists,  have  greatly  exaggerated 
matters,  presenting  exceptions  as  the  general  rule. 
The  matter  is  sufficiently  gloomy ;  simple  i^uth  suf- 
fices, and  none  have  presented  this  more  fairly  than 
the  Catholic  missionaries,  none  especially  have  been 
at  so  much  trouble,  have  made  more  strenuous  efibrts 
to  apply  the  true  remedy  to  the  evil.  Those  who 
have  read  the  life  of  the  Blessed  Peter  Claver,  the 
Apostle  of  the  Negroes,  have  formed  an  exact  idea  of 
the  lot  of  these  wretched  beings,  and  Porto  Eico  was, 
upon  a  small  scale,  another  Carthagena.     Faith  vras 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  85 

intact,  or  rather  heresy  had  been  carefully  excluded, 
but  morals  were  in  a  deplorable  state.  Father  Spin- 
ola  appreciated  the  position  with  remarkable  pre- 
cision, and  he  has  described  it  by  two  expressions 
that  picture  alike  whites  and  negroes.  "  The  indiffer- 
ence of  the  whites  and  the  ignorance  of  the  blacks 
have  multiplied  crimes.  It  was  a  special  design  of 
Divine  ProAddence  that  sent  us  here  to  wrest  a  mul- 
titude of  souls  from  hell !" 

It  was  just  the  season  of  Easter.  The  missionaries, 
furnished  with  the  most  ample  facilities  by  the 
bishop,  took  their  places  in  the  confessionals  and 
found  night  and  day  a  field  for  their  zeal.  The 
crov/d  was  great,  but  the  conversions  were  not  suffi- 
ciently prepared.  "Ah  !"  cried  the  Blessed  Charles, 
"  if  we  but  had  a  pulpit  at  our  disposal !"  but  it  was 
occupied  by  the  ordinary  Lenten  preacher,  whose 
powerless  voice,  like  the  well  known  sound  of  the 
bell,  was  lost  amid  the  general  indifference.  After 
his  departure  the  missionaries  began  to  instruct  the 
people  in  another  tone,  in  Portuguese  and  Spanish. 
Father  Spinola  adopted  the  simplest  form,  and 
taught  catechism  not  only  in  the  church  but  on  the 
streets,  wherever  he  could  collect  a  few  hearers.  He 
succeeded  in  fixing  the  attention  of  grown  men  as 
if  they  were  children,  of  men  of  rank,  and  especially  of 
the  soldiers,  to  whom  the  governor  was  so  well  disposed 
as  to  give  every  opportunity  and  the  influence  of  his 
own  example.  It  was  a  great  happiness  for  them, 
for  the  garrison  was  soon  after  decimated  by  one  of 
8 


86  LIFE   OF    THE 

those  pestilent  fevers  that  so  frequently  ravage  those 
parts. 

The  fruits  of  salvation  just  reaped  in  St.  John, 
Porto  Rico,  inspired  the  thought  of  renewing  the 
whole  island  by  a  general  mission.  It  could  be  done 
without  loss  of  time,  nothing  being  ready  for  the  con- 
tinuation of  their  voyage.  Moreover,  in  many  par- 
ishes, the  people  had  not  fulfilled  their  Easter  duties, 
from  want  of  a  valid  parish  priest  or  a  priest  capable 
of  discharging  his  functions.  The  mission  was  ac- 
cordingly decided  upon  and  the  labor  divided. 

The  Father  Superior  remained  near  the  port  to 
oversee  everything  and  be  at  the  bishop's  disposal. 
Fathe]'  Alexander  Ferrati,  with  one  companion,  pro- 
ceeded to  the  heart  of  the  sugar  plantations  and  the 
hovels  of  the  negroes  employed  in  them.  These 
wretched  slaves  offered  no  obstacles  to  the  ministers 
of  Christ  except  the  inertia  of  gross  and  brutalized 
ignorance.  Once  instructed  and  gained  over,  they 
crowded  around  the  confessionals,  and  took  from 
their  hours  of  sleep  the  time  required  by  the  exer- 
cises of  the  mission.  We  omit  the  details  of  this 
part  of  the  mission  to  follow  the  labors  of  Blessed 
Charles. 

It  fell  to  his  lot  to  visit  the  whole  island  with  his 
faithful  companion,  Jerome  de  Angelis,  and  every- 
where to  rekindle  the  Christian  spirit.  The  field  was 
vast  and  the  difficulties  of  every  description.  It  is  an 
island  of  a  thousand  square  leagues  of  surface,  without 
roads  worthy  of  the  name,  traversed  by  several  ranges 
of    mountains,    intersected    by  innumerable    water- 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  87 

courses,  wliicli  frequently,  when  swollen  by  the  tropi- 
cal rams,  rolled  tumultuously  down.  Blessed  Charles 
nearly  lost  his  life.  He  was  crossing  the  same  tor- 
rent for  the  twenty-first  time,  when  his  horse  lost  his 
foothold  and  was  swept  down ;  he  himself,  spent  with 
fatigue,  was  carried  down  a  considerable  distance,  and 
only  escaped  by  grasping  a  jutting  rock  with  a  last 
effort.  At  other  times  the  very  roads  were  changed 
into  streams,  and  they  had  to  wait  for  daylight  till 
the  waters  had  subsided,  then  lie  down  on  the  moist 
earth  wet  to  the  skin,  and  with  no  shelter  but  a  hastily 
constructed  cabin  of  palm  branches.  In  the  cities 
they  found  a  sort  of  bread,  and  even  meat ;  but  in  the 
country  they  were  obliged  to  live  on  plantains  land  a 
little  milk. 

The  first  town  visited  by  our  two  missionaries  was 
Cramo,  in  a  fertile  j)lain  near  the  southern  shore. 
The  inhabitants  received  them  as  angels  sent  from 
heaven.  Their  parish  priest  was  sick ;  yet  here,  sud- 
denly, two  religious  men  appear,  of  an  unknown  order, 
to  prepare  them  for  a  worthy  celebration  of  the  feast 
of  Whitsunday.  Whites  and  blacks  flocked  in  from 
four  or  five  leagues  around,  and,  for  ten  days,  put  up 
with  every  privation,  to  have  the  happiness  of  hearing 
the  word  of  God  and  putting  their  conscience  in  order. 
The  fruit  corresponded  to  this  eagerness.  All  learned 
the  essential  points  of  Christian  doctrine,  especially 
what  relates  to  contrition  and  confession.  They  prac- 
tised them  so  well  that  most  of  them  made  general 
confessions  with  tears,  and  concluded  by  restitutions 
and  reconciliations,  evincing  still  more   clearly  the 


88  LIFE    OF   THE 

sincerity  of  tlieir  repentance.  Some  reflections  on 
the  last  end  of  man  had  sufficed  to  make  them  accept 
any  sacrifice,  even  that  of  their  superstitious  prac- 
tices. This  abuse  is  always  difficult  to  eradicate, 
when  united,  as  in  this  case,  to  extreme  ignorance. 
On  this  occasion  the  zealous  missionary  displayed  a 
great  knowledge  of  the  human  heart.  Not  satisfied 
with  destroying  the  objects  employed  superstitiously, 
he  replaced  them  by  objects  and  practices  of  good 
and  solid  devotion,  by  blessed  and  indulgenced 
medals,  sprinkling  of  holy  water,  etc.  He  went  far- 
ther ;  always  guided  by  the  good  will  and  religious 
tendencies  of  his  hearers,  he  impressed  on  them  re- 
spect for  all  that  concerns  divine  worship,  inspired 
them  wdth  zeal  for  the  house  of  God,  and  induced 
them  to  roof  over  their  church,  to  provide  it  with  altar 
plate  and  secure  some  permanent  revenue.  He  ob- 
tained all  he  asked,  and  when  about  to  depart  could 
not  refrain  from  mingling  his  tears  wdth  the  tears  of 
these  good  people. 

His  mission  was  an  epoch  in  the  life  of  the  apos- 
tolic man.  For  the  first  time  he  bore  alone  the  re- 
sponsibility of  the  work,  as  he  had  the  main  share  of 
the  toil,  his  companion  not  being  a  priest.  It  was, 
therefore,  in  some  respects,  his  first  mission— a  mis- 
sion crowned  with  the  greatest  success,  and  in  which 
he  had  the  joy,  as  he  himself  in  all  simplicity  states, 
of  marking  the  first  fruits  of  his  apostleship  by  con- 
ferring holy  baptism  on  a  child. 

The  method  here  followed  he  observed  in  the  other 
localities  visited  by  him,  and  always  Avith  equal  sue- 


BLESSED    CHARLES    SPIXOLA.  89 

cess.     A  true  son  of  St.  Ignatius,  and  early  formed  in 
bis  school,  our  3'oung  missionary  had  made  a  pro- 
found study  of  the  book  of  Spiritual  Exercises,  making 
them  the  basis  of  his  missions  or  retreats.     Faithful 
to  the  spirit  of  his  holy  Master,  his  instructions  were 
a  perfect  chain,  but  he  did  not  adapt  them  to  a  given 
text,  or  make  them  a  uniform  and  unvarying  theme  : 
he  had  learned  from  the  very  book  of  St.  Ignatius  to 
modify  his  course  and  instructions  according  to  the 
requirements  of  his  hearers.     Neither  a  slave  to  rou- 
tine, nor  an  innovator,  and  vigorously  wielding  the 
spiritual  arms — such  was,  in  his  eyes,  a  true  mission- 
ary, and  such  he  showed  himself  fi'om  the  outset. 
His  hearers  were  ignorant,  and  to  some  extent  devoid 
of  intelhgence  ;  they  differed  in  tastes  and  manners  as 
much  as  they  did  in  race  and  condition.     Hence  he 
divided  them  into  groups,  gave  much  space  to  ele- 
mentary instruction  and  insisted  on  a  small  number 
of  fundamental  truths.     On  one  single  occasion  he 
swerved  partially  from  this  plan,  and  resorted  to  those 
vivid  demonstrations  that  set  a  whole  community  in 
motion.     He  had  this  time  met  a  more  cultivated  and 
reserved  population.     In  this  he  did  not  act  on  any 
preconcerted  plan  or  from  system  ;  he  allowed  himself 
to  be  influenced  by  the  event,  and  yielded  to  the  in- 
spiration of  heaven.     He  thus  averted  the  danger  of 
those  great  movements  which  injure  when  they  fail, 
and  he  rendered  the  impression,  to  some  extent,  irre- 
sistible.    We  shall  now  behold  him  in^  his  labors,  dis- 
playing in  them  talents  not  expected  from  his  exact 
and  positive  mind. 


90  LIFE   OF   THE 

After  visiting  Bucanas,  the  missionaries  reached  a 
district  called,  by  the  Spaniards,  New  Salamanca. 
Here  Blessed  Charles  proceeded  to  the  exercises  of 
the  mission  with  his  ordinary  prudence.  As  usual 
he  confided  the  explanation  of  the  Christian  Doctrine 
to  his  young  companion,  who  excelled  in  that  branch. 
"Words  full  of  unction,  and  untiring  patience,  drew  to 
the  catechist's  lessons  persons  of  every  age  and  rank. 
The  children  and  the  negroes  took  such  pleasure  in 
them,  that  they  afterwards  gathered  together,  to  talk 
them  over,  ancj  imbibe  more  deeply  what  they  had 
heard.  Nor  did  the  other  exercises  give  less  satis- 
faction. Sermons,  confessions,  communion,  all  went 
regularly  with  fervor  but  with  calmness.  As  the  mis- 
sion proceeded,  an  extraordinary  animation  arose. 
People  flocked  in  from  the  neighboring  towns,  as 
they  said,  to  hear  the  preacher  whom  God  had  sent 
to  convert  them.  In  fact,  he  felt  himself  impelled  by 
an  invincible  power :  he  remarked,  with  astonish- 
ment, that  the  best  thoughts  and  most  effective  argu- 
ments came  to  him  suddenly  and  without  study. 
His  hearers  said  that  his  exhortations  enkindled  in 
their  hearts  an  ardor  for  virtue  such  as  they  had 
never  before  experienced,  and  their  conduct  corres- 
ponded to  their  words.  Women  returned  to  the 
ways  of  modesty  and  simplicity :  men  to  piety  and 
practices  of  penance.  Some  scourged  themselves  to 
blood,  and  the  streets  resounded  nightly  with  the 
sound  of  these  voluntary  chastisements.  At  the  sight 
of  such  fervor  the  holy  missionary  resolved  to  give 
full  vent  to  his  own  feelings  and  those  of  the  people. 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  91 

He  announced  a  solemn  torcliliglit  procession  on  tlie 
niglit  of  St.  Barnabas'  day,  in  order  to  implore  of 
God  pardon  for  tlieir  sins  and  perseverance  in  tlieir 
good  resolutions.  This  was  an  unique  spectacle. 
To  read  the  details  given  by  the  holy  missionary, 
one  would  deem  it  descriptive  of  a  scene  in  Italy 
itself. 

The  procession  was  composed  of  all  the  able  por- 
tion of  the  people.  Almost  all  the  men  came  bare- 
footed, and  several  scourged  themselves  to  blood  ; 
some  women,  veiled  to  avoid  recognition,  followed  the 
whole  way  on  their  knees,  while  others  filled  the  air 
with  their  cries  and  lamentations.  With  these  mov- 
ing manifestations  were  intermingled,  from  time  to 
time,  the  voices  of  children  chanting  in  a  mournful 
tone,  "  Mercy,  Lord  Jesus,  mercy !"  The  emotion 
grew  more  intense,  and  it  overpowered  all,  the  mis- 
sionaries as  well  as  the  people.  On  re-entering  the 
church,  Father  Charles  could  not  refrain  from  ad- 
dressing a  prayer  to  Jesus  crucified,  but  his  voice 
was  drowned  in  tears.  The  people  replied  by  sobs, 
by  protestations  of  fidelity,  by  repeated  scourgings, 
by  scenes  of  repentance  that  were  prolonged  till 
dawn  of  day. 

The  fruit  of  the  mission  was  not  unworthy  of  the 
extraordinary  demonstrations  that  had  accompanied 
it ;  the  holy  missionary  giving  the  best  proof.  To- 
wards the  close  of  the  mission,  which  lasted  a  whole 
month,  those  who  returned  to  the  trilDunal  of  pen- 
ance had  to  accuse  themselves  of  no  fault  resembling 
their  former  transgressions.     To  persevere  thus,  till 


92  LIFE   OF   THE 

death,  seemed  now  easy,  and  tliey  promised  to  do  so, 
provided  some  one  came  once  a  year  to  remind  them 
of  the  truths  of  salvation.  How  often  are  not  mis- 
sionaries obliged  to  hear  the  touching  invitation  to 
return,  and  often  and  frequently  are  able  to  answer 
only  by  a  kind  prayer  and  a  warm  recommenda- 
tion. The  harvest  is  abundant,  but  the  laborers  are 
few — holy  laborers  especially.  Send,  0  Lord  Jesus, 
into  thy  vineyard,  men  according  to  thy  divine 
Heart. 

After  this  holy  excursion,  our  two  missionaries  re- 
turned to  Porto  Eico,  laden  with  merits  and  followed 
by  the  blessings  of  the  inhabitants  whom  they  had 
evangelized.  Then  the  consequences  of  excessive 
toil  began  to  show  themselves.  He  who  had  borne 
the  chief  burthen  was  seized  with  a  fever,  but  after 
some  days  seemed  sufficiently  restored  to  embark 
with  his  companions. 

III. — A  Peisoner  in  England. 

The  ship  in  which  our  missionaries  had  reached 
Porto  Rico,  was  repaired,  but  still  far  from  sea- 
worthy. After  the  twice-repeated  experience  of  its 
defects,  they  resolved  to  select  another  means  of  con- 
vej^ance.  Several  vessels  were  ready  to  set  sail  in 
the  same  direction :  this  time,  too,  the  missionaries 
divided,  and  Blessed  Charles,  wdth  his  mission  com- 
panion, was  appointed  to  go  in  a  new  light  vessel, 
but  small  and  poorly  armed,  carrying  only  two  iron 
cannon,  and  not  a  man  able  to  work  them.     Accord- 


BLESSED    CHARLES    SPINOLA  93 

ing  to  Lis  custom  lie  begged  what  lie  required  for 
liis  subsistence,  and  although  still  suffering  he 
embarked. 

Eight  vessels  cleared  together  from  the  harbor  of 
Porto  Rico,  August  21,  1597,  but  two  days  after  so 
furious  a  tempest  arose,  that  it  separated  the  ves- 
sels and'  dispersed  the  whole  fleet.  That  carrying 
our  two  missionaries,  bj  chance,  fell  in  with  a  Bel- 
gian merchantman,  full  of  Spaniards  and  Portuguese, 
at  the  time  subjects  of  the  same  prince.  Communi- 
cation was  opened,  and  the  merchantman,  which  was 
in  very  poor  condition,  obtained  a  promise  to  sail 
together  for  mutual  protection  and  in  case  of  acci- 
dent. This  concert  caused  the  loss  of  the  Portuguese 
ship. 

In  the  first  place,  they  had  to  regulate  its  course 
by  that  of  the  Flemish  ship,  which  greatly  retarded 
it,  and  sometimes  made  it  lose  as  much  as  ten  leagues 
a  day.  The  navigation  was  prolonged  by  these  de- 
lays beyond  what  had  been  anticipated,  and  they 
began  to  run  out  of  provisions.  Fortunately  they 
could  at  least  obtain  water,  and  fish,  in  great  abun- 
dance, took  the  place  of  meat. 

On  the  17tli  of  October,  the  two  vessels,  in  com- 
pany, passed  the  Azores,  v»'hen  a  sail  was  seen  near 
St.  Mary's,  the  island  nearest  Portugal.  The  first 
rays  of  light  showed  it  to  be  English,  and  about  three 
leagues  off.  Every  English  vessel  was  an  enemy  to 
the  subjects  of  Philip  II.,  and  on  both  sides  every 
capture  was  declared  a  lawful  prize.     It  was,  there- 


94  LIFE   OF   THE 

fore,  now  to  be  seen  whether  they  were  to  hope  or 
fear.     The  captains  held  a  council. 

The  small  Portuguese  vessel  might  have  escaped 
the  danger  by  flight,  especially  as  in  that  case  the 
English  ship  would  certainly  have  pounced  on  the 
merchantman,  and  given  up  the  chase  of  the  other 
vessel.  But  to  abandon  a  friendly  ship  to  the  pirate 
seemed  dishonorable,  while,  by  remaining  together, 
they  might  either  awe  the  enemy,  or  fight  with  him 
at  an  advantage.  The  latter  considerations  pre- 
vailed, and  it  was  resolved  to  wait  for  the  enemy. 

The  English  ship  bore  down.  It  was  but  a  small 
vessel  and  lightly  armed ;  but  it  was  guided  with  the 
skill  and  boldness  of  a  pirate,  who,  in  spite  of  appear- 
ances, saw  at  a  glance  the  inferiority  of  his  opponents. 
As  soon  as  the  merchantman  was  within  range,  the 
pirate  opened  fire.  The  former,  forced  to  protect  his 
hull,  answered  feebly,  and  his  few  and  ill-served  guns 
produced  very  little  effect.  After  two  hours'  action, 
its  sails  were  so  damaged,  that  further  resistance  was 
impossible.  Then  the  Portuguese  captain  thought 
of  flight,  but  it  was  too  late.  The  Englishman  gave 
chase  and  soon  was  in  possession.  When  he  had 
accomplished  this,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
merchantman ;  but  the  latter  had  disappeared,  and 
was  not  seen  again.  God  had  apparently  provided 
our  apostle  with  a  new  opportunity  to  suffer  and  to 
glorify  him  before  sending  him  to  Japan. 

Immediately  on  boarding  the  ship,  the  conquerors 
seized  the  property  of  the  passengers.  A  soldier, 
having  forced  his  way  into  Father  Spinola's  cabin, 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  95 

demanded  liis  money  sword  in  hand,  and  robbed 
him  of  four  hundred  pieces  of  gold  given  by  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff  for  the  Japanese  Missioners. 
This  was  only  the  prelude  of  a  general  pillage. 
Trunks  were  broken  open  and  searched ;  books, 
manuscripts,  reliquaries  and  beads  were  carried  off 
and  divided ;  nothing  was  left  to  the  Fathers  but  the 
clothes  they  wore.  Such  outrages  naturally  gave 
rise  to  fears  of  some  desperate  act  of  retribution  on 
the  part  of  the  passengers  who  had  been  robbed. 
For  this  reason  the  English  captain  transferred  them 
to  his  own  ship  on  the  following  morning.  The 
Fathers  attired  in  the  habit  of  their  order  were  re- 
ceived with  courtesy.  Two  interpreters  in  presence 
of  the  captain  questioned  them  in  Latin  as  to  their 
country  and  profession.  Here  was  a  welcome  chance 
for  one  who  aspired  after  martyrdom.  Father  Spi- 
nola  knew  that  the  very  name  of  "Jesuits"  was  an 
object  of  hatred  to  the  Protestants  :  Might  not  the 
show  of  courtesy,  with  which  they  were  received,  be 
a  mask  for  refined  cruelty?  Was  it  not  a  bitter 
mockery?  Did  not  the  death  of  Blessed  Ignatius 
d'Azevedo  and  his  thirty-nine  companions,  warn  them 
of  the  fate  in  store  for  themselves?  Thoughts  like 
those,  we  are  informed  by  his  letter,  crossed  the  mind 
of  this  hero  of  Christian  faith.  They  filled  his  soul 
with  joy,  and  he  declared  in  terms  bold  and  straight- 
forward, that  they  were  "  Italians  and  members  of 
the  Society  of  Jesus."  After  this  answer  all  expected 
to  'be  attacked  and  ill-used  in  every  way.  How  great, 
therefore,  was  their  surprise,  when  they  found  them- 


96  LIFE    OF   THE 

selves  treated  with  the  greatest  kindness  and  regard. 
The  captain,  with  an  air  of  great  deference,  ordered 
a  cabin  next  to  his  own  to  be  given  to  our  Saint,  and 
several  times  even  served  him  with  his  own  hands. 
Moreover,  he  allowed  him  to  go  from  vessel  to  vessel 
to  relieve  the  sick ;  and  he  ordered  everything  that 
had  been  taken  from  him  to  be  restored.  In  fact, 
his  manuscripts,  his  crucifix,  and  some  relics,  things 
of  no  great  material  value,  were  restored  to  him ;  but 
the  pirates  kept  what  was  valuable.  Their  conduct, 
however,  with  all  its  apparent  contradictions,  was 
marked  by  a  spirit  of  rapacity.  One  of  the  interpre- 
ters had  contracted  a  friendship  with  the  Fathers. 
He  had  received  from  them  some  objects,  which  he 
wished  to  show  to  his  mother,  who  was,  he  said,  a 
fervent  Catholic,  and  he  had  offered  to  keep  for  them 
all  that  had  been  restored  to  them,  swearing  solemnly 
to  restore  all  to  them  on  his  return  to  England.  This 
was  a  new  way  of  robbing  them.  No  doubt  it  was 
God's  wish  thus  to  detach  them  from  all  things,  even 
from  objects  of  devotion.  So  thought  the  Blessed 
Charles,  who  found  in  every  occurrence  new  reasons 
for  blessing  the  Divine  goodness. 

The  English  captain,  satisfied  with  his  success, 
resolved  to  make  sure  of  his  prize,  valued  at  upwards 
of  twenty-six  thousand  dollars,  and  set  sail  for  Eng- 
land. Much  as  he  dreaded  storms,  it  was  evident 
there  was  something  else  which  he  feared  still  more. 
He  felt  uneasy  while  passing  the  coast  of  the  conti- 
nent; and  some  circumstances  which  delayed  his 
entrv   into   the   Channel   increased   his   alarm.      He 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  97 

feared  meeting  an  English  vessel  as  much  as.  he 
dreaded  falhng  in  with  a  Spanish  man-of-war.  The 
nearer  he  approached  his  goal,  the  more  appar- 
ent became  the  illegal  character  of  his  doings. 
Finally,  on  the  5th  of  November  he  cast  anchor  at 
Yarmouth.  His  arrival  was  a  subject  of  great  re- 
joicings to  the  people  of  the  town.  Still  greater  was 
the  joy  when  the  captain  proceeded  to  his  native 
place,  where  he  seemed  inclined  to  make  a  longer 
stay. 

Henceforth  the  situation  of  the  missionaries  be- 
came better  defined.  The  captain  assigned  them 
separate  quarters,  and  paid  for  the  support  of  each 
two  shillings  a  day.  They  could  take  their  meals 
and  go  through  their  devotions  in  their  rooms  with- 
out being  watched  ;  in  short,  they  were  better  treated 
than  any  other  prisoners.  Gradually  they  extended 
the  sphere  of  their  activity.  From  all  sides  visitors 
came  to  see  the  captain,  some  to  pay  their  respects, 
others  to  transact  business  with  him.  Some  of  these 
also  visited  tlie  Fathers.  Those  who  spoke  Latin, 
Spanish,  or  Italian  conversed  with  them,  and, 
charmed  by  their  courteous  address,  they  soon 
passed  to  more  serious  subjects,  and  opened  friendly 
discussions  on  the  rehgious  questions  which  absorbed 
every  one's  attention  during  the  sixteenth  century. 
In  England,  where  on  the  most  idle  pretexts,  the 
sovereign  had  inaugurated  the  rebellion  against  the 
authority  of  the  Church,  it  had  been  found  necessary 
to  deceive  the  people  regarding  Catholic  doctrines. 
The  most  absurd  fictions,  the  basest  slanders  had 
9 


98  LIFE   OF   THE 

become  deeply-rooted  prejudices.  Even  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  many  Engiisli  people  sincerely  believe  that 
the  PajDists,  to  use  their  own  expression,  are  idola- 
ters, who  adore  the  Saints  and  their  images,  and 
fanatics  who  reduce  the  conversion  of  sinners  to  a 
mere  external  form,  nay,  to  a  question  of  money ; 
the  Fathers  were  pleased  to  undeceive  their  visitors 
on  these  points.  Their  happiness  was  still  greater 
when,  even  in  this  desolate  country,  they  met  with 
some  Catholic  families.  They  found  them  worthy  of 
the  trials  which  they  had  undergone,  unshaken  in 
their  attachment  to  the  Church,  and  loved  and  es- 
teemed even  by  their  Protestant  neighbors. 

Such  a  life,  however,  had  few  charms  for  the  gen- 
erous heart  of  the  Blessed  Spinola.  He  therefore 
asked  the  captain  to  allow  him  to  go  to  London  or  to 
some  other  port,  whence  he  might  sail  for  Lisbon. 
The  captain  had  no  reason  to  deny  his  request,  but 
he  distrusted  the  Father's  intentions.  Instead  of 
leaving  the  country,  these  strangers  might  lodge 
complaint  at  London  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
the  restitution  of  their  property,  or,  what  seemed 
even  more  dangerous,  they  might  seek  to  re-establish 
the  Catholic  religion  in  England.  If  this  should 
prove  to  be  the  case,  their  temerity  would  expose  the 
man  who  had  brought  them  to  England  to  the  full 
rigor  of  the  laws  then  in  force  against  Catholics.  In 
fact,  the  edicts  of  Queen  Elizabeth  far  surpassed  in 
intolerant  cruelty  anything  that  has  been  charged 
against  the  Spanish  Inquisition.  Frightened  by  the 
mere  possibility  of  running  such  risks,  the  captain 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  99 

strictly  forbade  tlie  Fathers  to  leave  the  city. .  In 
vain  his  friends  and  relations  spoke  in  their  favor  ; 
their  entreaties  only  increased  his  suspicions.  He 
knew  that  there  were  many  Catholics  who  escaped 
by  the  payment  of  money  the  legal  obligation  of 
attending  Protestant  churches,  and  who  secretly 
favored  the  practices  of  Catholicity.  Men  of  this 
stamp  need  only  come  in  contact  with  the  zealous 
missionary,  who  took  no  pains  to  hide  his  burning 
desire  to  celebrate  at  least  once  the  sacrifice  of  mass 
on  English  soil,  and  the  captain's  head  would  pay 
for  the  favor  asked  of  him.  Judged  by  his  own  stan- 
dard he  was  right ;  but  the  missionaries,  wrongfully 
deprived  of  their  freedom,  could  no  longer  bear  their 
forced  inactivity. 

At  one  time  they  thought  of  making  their  escape, 
and  of  devoting  themselves  to  promote  in  England 
the  cause  of  Catholicity,  so  nobly  upheld  by  the  Cam- 
pians  and  the  Southwells.  Two  considerations  in- 
duced them  to  abandon  the  project.  In  the  first 
place,  they  were  unacquainted  with  the  English  lan- 
guage ;  secondly,  they  could  hardly  hope  for  the 
palm  of  martyrdom  in  England.  As  strangers, 
brought  to  England  against  their  will,  the  most 
they  could  expect  was  expulsion  from  the  country. 
For  these  reasons  they  concluded  to  abide  by  their 
first  resolution,  and  to  return  as  soon  as  possible  to 
Lisbon.  When  they  spoke  directly  of  this,  the  cap- 
tain, instead  of  opposing  their  views,  did  his  best  to 
aid  them.  As  they  were  obliged  to  disguise  them- 
selves, to  escape  the  hatred  of  the  fanatics  and  the 


100  *      LIFE   OF   THE 

searches  of  informers,  lie  procured  for  them  lay 
dress  ;  but,  always  a  prey  to  distrust,  he  at  the  same 
time  ransacked  their  baggage,  to  prevent  their  carry- 
ing with  them  letters  or  other  objects  that  might 
compromise  him.  Having  found  nothing  suspicious, 
he  allowed  them  to  depart. 

On  the  5th  of  December  the  missionaries  em- 
barked, but  fearful  storms  awaited  them.  So  it  had 
been  for  two  years.  Scarcely  had  the  vessel  reached 
the  ocean,  wdien,  as  if  by  Divine  interposition,  the 
winds  spent  all  their  fury  to  prevent  them  from  reach- 
ing their  goal.  They  had  to  bear  all  the  rage  of  the 
elements.  They  suffered,  were  numbed  Avith  cold, 
and  w^et  through  by  the  weaves,  which  continually 
swept  the  deck.  "  At  no  time  during  this  expedi- 
tion," writes  Father  Spinola,  "  did  we  suffer  so  much 
as  during  the  tw^o  days  during  which  this  storm 
raged ;  and  at  no  time  did  w^e  experience  heavenly 
consolation  so  pure  and  so  sweet.  The  sailors  made 
unheard  of  efforts  to  reach  an  island  hard  by ;  they 
could  not  succeed,  and,  worn  out  by  their  exertions, 
put  back  to  another  English  port." 

On  landing  at  this  part  of  the  English  coast,  which 
is  not  clearly  described  by  Father  Spinola,  they  con- 
gratulated themselves  on  being  disguised.  The  Queen 
having  issued  still  more  vigorous  edicts  against  Cath- 
olics, and  ordered  them  to  be  treated  with  the  most 
unrelenting  severity,  they  would  not  have  escaped  a 
long  imprisonment  had  they  been  recognized.  It  was 
necessary  therefore  to  provide  for  speedy  re-embarka- 
tion.    They  applied,  in  the  first  instance,  to  two  Ital- 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  101 

ian  captains — the  one  from  Genoa,  tlie  other  from 
Eagusa.  They  were  very  charitable  men,  and  offered 
to  take  the  Fathers  to  Leghorn  ;  "  but  I  refused  this 
offer,"  says  the  Blessed  Spinola,  in  his  letter  to  Fa- 
ther General,  "  fearing  that,  being  under  your  imme- 
diate control,  your  paternity  might  oppose  our  de- 
parture for  the  mission,  which  was  the  goal  of  our 
ambition."  They  found  another  captain,  who  was 
willing  to  take  them  to  St.  Jean  de  Luz,  on  the  con- 
fines of  Spain  and  France,  whence  they  could  reach 
Lisbon  by  land.  They  were  on  the  point  of  accept- 
ing his  proposal,  when  they  fell  in  with  a  safer  and 
more  expeditious  means  of  making  the  voyage.  They 
met  a  German  merchant,  v>^ho,  by  the  permission  of 
the  King  of  Spain  and  the  Queen  of  England,  con- 
veyed the  prisoners  exchanged  between  the  two  na- 
tions. This  man  proved  very  obliging,  and,  haying 
agreed  upon  the  terms,  he  prepared  to  depart ;  before 
weighing  anchor,  however,  the  Fathers  were  doomed 
to  new  trials. 

They  had  already  undergone  many  spiritual  priva- 
tions, rendered  necessary  by  prudence.  They  had 
been  unable  to  say  mass  on  Christmas  day;  but, 
writes  the  Blessed  Spinola,  "  it  would  have  been  won- 
derful that  two  priests  should  leave  England  Avithout 
having  suffered  imprisonment  for  Jesus  Christ."  They 
lodged  at  the  house  of  a  woman,  who  treated  them 
well,  hoping  that,  on  their  arrival  at  Lisbon,  they 
would  help  her  to  effect  an  exchange  of  her  husband 
for  a  Spanish  ensign,  whom  she  held  as  a  hostage. 
This  ensign,  equally  desirous  to  obtain  his  freedom, 


102  LIFE    OF   THE 

had  written  letters  to  his  friends  and  entrusted  them 
to  the  Fathers.  This  circumstance,  which  became 
known,  caused  them  to  be  suspected  of  carrying  other 
letters ;  and  forthwith  their  rooms  were  entered  by 
night  and  their  baggage  searched.  Luckily  nothing 
else  was  found  ;  but  the  examining  parties,  having 
heard  the  Blessed  Jerome  de  Angelis  say  something 
in  Italian,  took  him  for  a  Spaniard,  seized  him  and 
put  him  in  prison.  Nevertheless,  only  one  night  re- 
mained. The  rest  were  subjected  to  some  measures 
of  precaution  and  a  formal  examination ;  after  which 
the  missionaries,  to  their  great  joy,  went  on  board  at 
the  beginning  of  January,  1598,  and,  though  the  ves- 
sel was  old  and  ill-equipped,  they  reached  liisbon  in 
eight  days. 

They  proceeded  at  once  to  the  Professed  House, 
where  their  arrival  was  greeted  with  no  less  surprise 
than  joy.  They  had  resided  there  two  years  previ- 
ously, but  they  were  not  recognized  at  once.  Their 
disordered  hair,  their  uncouth  beards,  their  rude  at- 
tire— in  fact,  their  whole  appearance,  proclaimed  them 
sailors  rather  than  religious.  But  as  soon  as  it  be- 
came known  who  they  were,  they  were  vv^elcomed  the 
more  heartily,  as  their  fate  had  so  long  been  a  mys- 
tery. They  were  pressed  to  relate  their  adventures, 
and  to  edify  their  brethren  by  the  story  of  their  suffer- 
ings. In  this  recital  our  young  apostle  displaj^ed  all 
the  fervor  of  his  devotion,  all  his  love  of  the  cross  of 
Christ.  He  spoke  as  another  St.  Paul,  enumerating 
the  perils  through  which  he  had  passed  in  his  apostle- 
ship — perils  on  sea  and  on  land,  perils  of  robbers  and 


BLESSED    CHAELES   SPINOLA.  103 

of  false  brethren,  in  weariness  and  painfulness,  in 
hunger  and  thirst,  in  cold  and  nakedness — nay,  in 
danger  even  of  death. — II.  Cor.  xi.  25.  His  tattered 
garments  added  to  the  effect  of  his  words,  for  he  Avore 
them  with  apostolic  pride  as  the  livery  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  in  his  own  words  he  had  never  seen  himself  so 
well  dressed. 

After  satisfying  the  pious  curiosity  of  his  brethren, 
the  holy  religious  retired  into  the  obscurity  of  com- 
munity life,  and  combined  with  great  industry  a  stri- 
king faithfulness  to  all  his  obligations  as  a  religious. 

IV. — Arrr'al  of  Blessed  Chaeles  in  Japan. 

On  reaching  Lisbon,  in  January,  Blessed  Charles 
had  hoped  to  sail  for  Japan  in  the  month  of  April 
then  following,^  and  even  before  resting  from  his  fa- 
tigue, he  explained  his  desire  to  his  superiors.  They 
did  not,  however,  feel  able  to  grant  it  without  con- 
sulting the  Eeverend  Father  General.  Communica- 
tion was  then  rare  and  slow,  so  that  the  reply  could 
not  reach  Lisbon  from  Kome  before  the  day  fixed  for 
the  sailing  of  the  fleet.  This  delay  affected  the  fer- 
vent missionary,  inasmuch  as  he  conceived  great 
anxietv  as  to  the  whole  desicrn.  Would  not  this  lontr 
forced  stay  in  Europe  entail  difficulties  not  easily 
overcome,  and  encourage  his  family  to  renewed  in- 


^  An  autograph  letter  of  B.  Charles  to  his  friend  F.  Lambertengo, 
at  Milan,  dated  Lisbon,  March  21,  1598,  and  preserved  in  the  library 
at  Amiens,  breathes  this  desire. 


104:  LIFE   OF   THE 

stances  to  retain  liim  ?  This  danger  mnst  be  met. 
And  the  holy  missionary  acted  promptly.  After 
writing  to  Reverend  Father  Claude  Aquaviva,  Gen- 
eral of  the  Society,  a  long  letter  from  which  we  have 
drawn  the  substance  of  the  three  last  chapters,  he 
closes  it  by  these  expressions,  which  portray  the 
situation  of  his  soul  and  are  explained  by  the  object 
he  so  persistently  sought : 

"  Here  we  are  ready  and  disposed,  more  desirous 
than  ever,  to  continue  our  voyage,  and  ready  to  re- 
commence a  thousand  times  the  route  we  have  just 
taken.  We  expect  sufferings  far  different  from  those 
we  have  hitherto  endured.  For  myself,  I  was  al- 
ready accustomed  to  them,  and  what  seemed  diflicult 
to  those  who  had  never  experienced  them  seemed 
very  easy  to  me.  Such  trust  have  I  in  God,  that 
were  all  human  means  to  fail  me,  I  believe  he  woliM 
give  me  wings  to  fly  whither  I  feel  He  calls  so  vis- 
ibly, and  for  so  many  years.  I  know  full  well  how  un- 
v>^orthy  I  am  to  labor  in  that  noble  mission,  and  I 
blush  when  I  think  of  myself  amid  so  many  illustri- 
ous workmen ;  yet  I  hope,  cold  and  hard  as  I  am, 
that  in  contact  with  their  fire  I  shall  be  inflamed.  If 
God  permits  me  to  do  anything,  He  alone  shall  have 
the  glory,  for  He  alone  could  have  effected  it." 

While  letters  thus  went  from  Lisbon  to  Home  wor- 
thy of  an  apostle,  others  no  less  pressing  came  from 
Genoa  to  retain  the  holy  missionary  in  Europe.  The 
illustrious  Spinola  family  earnestly  solicited  this 
favor  as  a  proper  act  of  deference  :  they  cited  his 
ineffectual  attempts,  which  had  only  served  to  bring 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SriNOLA.  105 

him  back  to  his  starting  point.  Was  not  this  a 
token  of  God's  will,  and  was  it  not  sufficient  for  the 
good  religions  to  have  evinced  his  devoted  zeal? 
Specious  as  these  motives  were,  they  could  not  coun- 
terbalance the  dispositions  of  the  earnest  missionary, 
especially  on  a  mind  so  saperior  as  that  of  Father  Claude 
Aquaviva.  He  withstood  the  family  of  the  apostle 
and  renewed  his  permission  to  him  and  his  compan- 
ion to  proceed  to  Japan.  He  added  another  favor, 
or  rather  act  of  justice,  by  admitting  the  holy  reli- 
gious to  his  solemn  profession.  As  is  w^ell  known, 
profession,  in  the  Society  of  Jesus,  includes  a  fourth 
vow,  obliging  the  professed  to  go  and  preach  the 
gospel  among  infidels  and  heretics  at  the  first  com- 
mand, and  if  need  be,  without  any  means  provided 
for  his  support.  In  this  our  missionary  beheld  only 
,that  engagement  to  apostolic  self-denial,  and  he  con- 
secrated himself  forever  to  the  work  which  God 
pointed  out  to  him,  with  all  the  joy  of  his  heart.  To 
crown  his  consolation,  his  companion,  the  Blessed 
Jerome  de  Angelis,  was  promoted  to  Holy  Orders. 

Both  remained  at  St.  Anthony's  College  awaiting 
the  departure  of  the  fleet,  which  was  not  to  sail  till 
the  next  year.  Their  presence  at  Lisbon  was  a  dis- 
position of  divine  Providence,,  w^ho  wished  to  afford 
them  an  opportunity  of  once  more  exercising  their 
zeal  and  charity.  The  plague  suddenly  broke  out. 
The  Fathers  of  the  Society,  as  of  all  time,  devoted 
themselves  to  the  service  of  those  attacked.  While 
some  traversed  the  city  at  all  hours  of  the  day  to 
give  assistance  wherever  it  was  invoked,  and  others 


106  LIFE    OF    THE 

remained  constantly  in  tlie  cliurch  to  administer  the 
holy  sacraments,  our  devoted  missionary  gave  his 
services  as  lavishly  as  usual,  and  gave  almost  the 
whole  of  this  year  to  works  of  mercy. 

At  last  he  beheld  the  long  desired  day  of  depar- 
ture approach,  and  he  followed  the  preparations  with 
anxious  interest.  These  preparations  were  more 
than  usually  extensive,  as  a  fleet  recently  cleared  for 
the  Indies  had  returned  to  port  in  shame,  not  daring 
to  cope  with  the  Dutch.  This  time  seven  men-of- 
war  were  fitted  out  to  defend  the  honor  of  the  Portu- 
guese flag  against  any  enemy.  It  now  remained  only 
to  provide  the  passengers  and  crews  with  spiritual 
aid.  This  was  not  easy.  Men,  just  from  a  plague- 
stricken  city,  might  carry  contagion  to  the  fleet,  and 
make  each  ship  a  hotbed  of  incurable  infection.  At 
this  idea  the  terrified  priests  refused  to  embark. 
The  magistrates  then  applied  to  the  superiors  of  the 
Society,  begging  them  to  furnish  the  necessary  chap- 
lains. Twenty  were  assigned  and  distributed  among 
the  various  vessels.  Blessed  Charles  Spinola  had 
with  him  his  old  companion,  now  a  priest,  and  was 
appointed  superior  of  those  who  shared  his  labors  on 
the  same  ship.  They  set  sail  towards  the  end  of 
March,  1597. 

I  shall  not  detail  the  events  of  the  voyage,  during 
which  the  holy  man  discharged  all  the  duties  of  an 
apostle  with  a  redoubled  zeal  drawn  from  the  respon- 
sibility of  his  post.  This  time  he  had  the  consola- 
tion of  seeing  the  most  consoling  practices  of  religion 
established  on  board.     The  sick,  in  particular,  testi- 


BLESSED   CHAELES   SPINOLA.  JOY 

fied  a  holy  zeal  to  receive  the  sacraments  ;  and  of 
these,  m  consequence  of  the  contagion,  there  were 
many.  The  zealous  missionary  himself,  after  bearing 
up  against  all  this  exertion  for  a  long  time,  was 
seized  with  a  stubborn  fever,  which,  for  two  months, 
so  undermined  his  strength  that  consumption  was 
feared.  He  had  reached  Goa,  but  seemed  incapable 
of  continuing  his  voyage  ;  but  he  saw  before  his  eyes 
the  vessel  that  was  at  last  to  carry  him  to  Japan : 
he  invokes  Jesus;  he  was  full  of  confidence  which 
calls  forth  miracles ;  he  embarks  in  spite  of  the  fever 
that  consumed  him  ;  he  bears  a  long  voyage  of  sixty- 
five  days,  during  which  they  ran  out  of  water,  and, 
on  reaching  Malacca  in  July,  1600,  he  found  himself, 
by  a  signal  benefit  of  God,  cured. 

At  Malacca  he  received,  through  the  Fathers  re- 
siding in  that  city,  the  first  tidings  of  his  beloved 
mission.  That  very  year  several  new  establishments 
had  been  formed  in  Japan,  and  the  most  abundant 
harvest  was  anticipated  from  that  vineyard  ;  the 
workmen,  far  from  sufficient  for  the  harvest,  like  those 
in  the  gospel,  imj)lored  their  comrades  to  hasten  to 
their  assistance.  In  answer  to  this  appeal  the  holy 
missionary  urged  his  departure,  disembarked  a  week 
after,  and,  in  four  months,  entered  the  port  of  Macao. 
Macao  belongs  to  China,  but,  by  its  chief  inhabi- 
tants, by  its  estabhshments  and  civilization,  was  a 
Portuguese  city.  It  thenceforth  enjoyed  several  privi- 
leges, and  greatly  facilitated  all  intercourse  between 
Europe  and  China.  The  College  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus  was  the  rendezvous  of  all  the  missionaries  des- 


108  LIFE   OF    THE 

tilled  to  China  or  Japan.  There  they  learned  the 
lansruaf^e,  the  customs,  and  all  that  could  fit  them  for 
their  special  vocation.  Blessed  Charles  had  to  pass 
through  this  probation  also.  He  was,  at  the  same 
time,  entrusted  AA'ith  the  care  of  the  material  interests 
of  the  Province  of  Japan,  and  appointed  to  super- 
intend the  erection  of  a  new  church  in  honor  of  the 
Assumption  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  His  thorough  ac- 
quaintance with  mathematics  and  the  arts  of  design 
depending  on  them,  had  obtained  the  latter  office,  and 
he  drew  the  plan  of  the  edifice.  But  his  zeal  was  not 
content  with  such  labors.  He  so  ardently  and  suc- 
cessfully cared  for  the  spiritual  interests  of  the  Por- 
tuguese, that  the  most  important  part  of  the  ministry 
of  the  word  was  assigned  to  him. 

There  was  a  usage  dating  back  to  St.  Francis 
Xavier,  apostle  of  the  Indies  and  Japan.  That  great 
saint  had  a  special  devotion  for  the  passion  of  our 
Lord,  and  he  often  made  it  the  subject  of  his  exhorta- 
tions. Since  then,  in  all  the  churches  of  the  Society 
of  Jesus,  all  the  Fridays  in  Lent  were  devoted  to  the 
exercises  of  this  devotion.  In  the  evening  business 
ceased  as  on  a  holiday,  and  the  people  crowded  to  the 
sermon,  which  was  followed  by  an  expiatory  proces- 
sion. The  most  striking  demonstrations  attended 
these  pious  exercises  :  it  was  not  only  the  profusion 
of  lights  and  religious  emblems,  but  the  public  expres- 
sion of  compassion  and  penance,  voluntary  flagella- 
tion to  blood.  Amid  a  people  susceptible  of  great 
emotions,  such  ceremonies  produced  an  immense 
effect.     Sinners  repaired  their  scandals,  to  the  won- 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  109 

der  of  pagans.  But  to  produce  these  effects  required 
a  powerful  man  ;  besides  natural  gifts  it  required  a 
soul  breathing  only  for  Jesus  crucified.  Such  had 
Father  Spinola  already  shown  himself,  and,  on  this 
occasion,  he  reaped  fruits  of  penance  and  sanctifica- 
tion  of  which  the  "  Indian  Letters ''  of  this  year  exalt 
the  marvels. 

These  great  qualities  had  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  Superiors  of  the  mission.  Father  Emanuel  Diaz 
and  Valentine  Carvalho  endeavored  to  retain  him  in 
China,  where  they  saw  his  extraordinary  talent  for 
mathematics  would  be  far  more  useful  than  in  Japan. 
But  the  holy  man  felt  his  call  to  Japan  too  visibly — 
and,  as  he  said  himself,  Japan  had  cost  him  too  dear- 
ly, to  renounce  it  the  moment  he  was  about  to  enter 
there.  Moreover  his  orders  were  for  Japan,  not  for 
China,  and,  on  the  first  opportunity  that  arrived,  he 
embarked  with  his  faithful  companion,  and  arrived 
happily  at  Nagasaki  in  the  month  of  July,  1G02. 

He  at  last  treads  the  soil  of  Japan.  So  often  ar- 
rested by  obstacles  of  every  kind,  subjected  to  trials 
most  painful  and  most  diverse,  he  reached  that  land, 
where  he  beheld  dimly  the  precious  reward  of  his 
labors — the  martyr's  crown.  Japan!  Japan!  Never 
ceasing  to  repeat  it  in  his  noble  aspirations,  he  ut- 
tered it  at  this  moment  in  the  joy  of  his  heart,  and 
blessed  the  amiable  Providence  that  ordered  all 
things  wisely.  Let  us  leave  him  ta  his  transports, 
and  examine,  on  the  spot,  the  field  of  his  future  la- 
bors and  sufferings. 
10 


110  LIFE   OF   THE 


PAET    III. 

APOSTOLIC    LIFE    IN    JAPAN 

I. — State  of  the  Mission. 

Japan,  from  tlie  time  it  became  known  to  Europe- 
ans, lias  excited  the  most  intense  interest.  Those 
islands,  in  the  remote  extremity  of  Asia,  concealed  a 
population  whom  rare  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  at 
once  commended  to  the  curiosity  of  Portuguese  navi- 
gators. In  1549,  St.  Francis  Xavier  penetrated  into 
the  country  amid  a  thousand  obstacles,  and  founded  a 
Christian  church,  which,  in  less  than  a  century,  pro- 
duced the  most  heroic  virtues  and  a  countless  army 
of  glorious  martyrs. 

The  mission,  in  the  outset,  was  a  verj  difficult  one. 
The  people  promptly  conceived  the  truths  proposed, 
but  opposed  them  with  endless  subtleties ;  they 
showed  themselves  noble  and  generous,  but  haughty 
and  arrogant :  moreover,  their  virtues,  as  Avell  as  their 
vices,  were  cunningly  turned  to  account  by  the  bonzes 
or  ministers  of  the  established  rehgion.  Had  this 
violent  and  hypocritical  caste  been  able  to  rely  on  a 
central  power  universally  recognized,  they  might  have 
long  hampered  the  progress  of  the  gospel ;  but  at 
that  period  a  civil  war  had  changed  the  relations  of 


BLESSED    CHARLES    SPINOLA.  Ill 

tbe  princes  with  each  other.  The  head  of  the  army, 
called  the  Sama,  had  reduced  the  Dairi,  or  religions 
monarch,  to  the  position  of  nominal  sovereign,  most 
of  the  princes  becoming  independent.  Thus  Japan 
became  divided  into  a  host  of  small  and  mutually 
jealous  kingdoms.  The  princes  Avho  embraced  Chris- 
tianity naturally  became  the  protectors  of  all  the 
other  converts.  Such  were  the  prince  of  Omura  and 
the  king  of  Bungo  and  Arima,  who  founded  several 
religious  establishments  in  their  states.  In  1582  they 
sent  an  embassy  of  obedience  to  the  Sovereign  Pon- 
tiff, in  the  name  of  the  new  church  of  Japan.  This 
church  then  counted,  after  thirty  years'  existence, 
more  than  200,000  Christians,  governed  by  a  bishop 
selected  from  among  the  missionaries. 

The  political  changes  that  ensued  were  not  at  first 
prejudicial  to  religion.  The  emperor,  Nobunanga, 
who  had  extended  his  power  over  a  great  part  of 
Japan,  was  not  hostile  to  religion,  and  his  successor, 
even,  began  by  protecting  them.  This  was  the  famous 
Taico-Sama,  who  rose  from  the  most  obscure  position 
to  the  first  dignities  of  the  empire,  then  usurped  the 
throne  from  his  benefactor's  son,  and  reunited,  under 
his  sceptre,  all  the  kingdoms  of  Japan. 

Taico-Sama  was  not  devoid  of  genius  :  he  saw 
through  the  pagan  superstitions,  and  appreciated  the 
Christian  religion ;  but  an  immoral  man  and  a  des- 
potic sovereign,  he  could  not  long,  love  a  religion 
which  inspired  women  with  chastity  and  men  with 
courage  never  to  obey  at  the  expense  of  their  con- 
science.    In  1587  the  Christian  virgins  of  Arima,  hav- 


112  LIFE   OF   THE 

ing  repulsed  the  criminal  solicitations  of  the  emperor, 
this  was  enough  to  enkindle  his  anger  and  involve  all 
the  Christians  in  his  resentment.  He  instantly  or- 
dered General  Ucondono,  the  firmest  support  of  his 
empire,  to  depart  into  exile,  and  the  next  day  noti- 
fied Father  Coeglio,  the  Superior  of  the  Jesuits,  to 
leave  Japan  with  all  the  missionaries  under  pain  of 
death. 

The  Fathers  decided  that  they  ought  not  so  readily 
to  abandon  this  flourishing  Christian  flock.  They 
contented  themselves  with  withdrawing  from  all  pub- 
lic notice  and  acting  with  extreme  circumspection. 
The  emperor,  satisfied  with  this  mark  of  deference, 
did  not  urge  the  rigorous  execution  of  his  orders. 
He  even  received  with  contempt  the  new  king  of 
Bungo,  the  apostate  Joscimon,  who  had  put  to  death 
several  Christians  in  his  dominions.  The  return,  in 
1590,  of  the  Japanese  deputies  from  Rome,  headed 
by  Father  Valignani,  ambassador  of  the  Viceroy  of 
God,  tended  to  conciliate  the  pacific  dispositions  of 
the  emperor.  This  happy  state  of  things  entirely 
prevailed  on  the  news  at  court  of  the  conquest  of  the 
Corea,  which  the  bravery  of  some  Christian  generals 
had  achieved.  Hereupon  Christianity  made  rapid 
progress,  especially  among  the  nobles,  who  enrolled 
with  enthusiasm  under  the  standard  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Up  to  1593,  the  Jesuits  alone,  then  numbering  one 
hundred  and  thirty,  had  cultivated  the  vineyard  of 
our  Lord  ;  but  in  the  month  of  June,  the  same  year, 
four  religious  of  the  order  of  Minors  of  St.  Francis 
arrived  at  Nagasaki.     Admitted  as  ambassadors  of 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  113 

the  governor  of  the  Philippines,  they  soon  established 
friars  at  Meaco,  Osaca,  and  at  Nagasaki.  These 
excellent  religious,  led  only  by  the  burning  zeal 
which  animated  them,  commenced  the  public  exer- 
cise of  the  ministry.  This  conduct  gave  rise  to  hos- 
tile rumors,  which  were  aggravated  by  the  boasting 
of  a  Spanish  pilot.  This  man  being  made  prisoner 
b}^  the  Japanese,  endeavored  to  intimidate  them  by 
an  exaggerated  account  of  the  power  of  his  sovereign, 
who,  added  he,  was  making  use  of  priests  and  reli- 
gious in  the  conquest  of  foreign  countries.  At  such 
news,  Taico-Sama  hesitated  no  longer.  He  ordered 
the  missionaries  at  Meaco  and  at  Osaca,  the  two 
principal  cities  of  the  empire,  to  be  arrested.  His 
officers  did  not  stop  here.  In  order  to  spread  terror 
among  the  people,  they  made  out  the  lists  of  the 
Christians  who  frequented  the  churches.  Hereupon 
a  general  massacre  was  expected.  Among  the  three 
hundred  thousand  faithful  who  then  formed  the 
Church  in  Japan,  there  existed  a  general  enthusiasm 
for  martyrdom.  The  missionaries  shared  in  this 
heroism,  and  they  at  once  appeared  at  the  most 
threatened  posts  to  sustain  the  courage  of  the  Chris- 
tians, when  Father  Gomez,  Yice-Provincial  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus,  faithful  to  the  traditions  of  his 
order,  enjoined  upon  his  subjects  to  retire  to  their 
places  of  retreat  and  to  exercise  their  apostleship  in 
secret.  But  this  prudence  of  a  responsible  leader 
did  not  suffice  to  check  the  ardor  of  the  multitude. 
Their  subsequent  heroism  revived  the  most  brilliant 
days  of  the  primitive  church. 


114  LIFE   OF   THE 

The  brave  Ucondono,  from  the  court  of  the  king  of 
Cango,  returned  to  Meaco,  to  die  with  Father  Organ- 
tini;  a  cousin  of  Taico-Sama,  the  possessor  of  three 
kingdoms,  imitated  this  example  ;  a  certain  noble- 
man threatened  to  punish  any  of  his  subjects  who 
should  be  known  to  deny  the  Christian  religion ; 
another,  fearing  he  might  be  spared  on  account  of 
his  rank,  went  with  his  wife  and  two  children  (the 
youngest  of  whom  was  still  an  infant)  and  presented 
himself  with  them  to  the  nearest  governor.  Andrew 
Ongasavera,  of  a  noble  family  of  Bungo,  had  his 
name  inscribed  on  the  list  of  the  names  of  all  the 
Christians  at  Osaca,  with  those  of  his  wdfe  and  of  his 
father  aged  eighty  years.  Sacandono,  the  eldest  son 
of  Genifoin,  the  viceroy  of  Meaco,  surpassed  all 
others  ;  being  at  a  distance  of  six  hundred  miles 
from  the  capital,  he  returned  to  it  in  all  speed  at  the 
news  of  the  edicts  of  Taico-Sama,  and  in  order  to 
attract  more  certainly  the  notice  of  the  persecutors, 
he  assumed  the  garb  of  a  priest.  Constantine,  his 
brother,  and  Michael,  their  cousin,  notwithstanding 
the  threats  of  Genifoin  and  the  tears  of  his  spouse, 
proclaimed  aloud  that  they  were  Christians,  and  by 
their  conduct  manifested  their  ardent  desire  of  mar- 
tyrdom. 

Christians  of  the  lower  orders  of  society  appeared 
before  the  officers  of  justice  with  intrepidity ;  even 
women  rivalled  men  in  courage.  The  queen  of 
Tango,  and  at  another  time  the  wife  of  Andrew  On- 
gasavera were  found  working  with  their  maids  pre- 
paring more  costly  robes,  in  order  to   appear  with 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  115 

more  than  ordinary  magnificence  on  tlie  day  of  their 
triumph,  for  it  is  thus  they  styled  that  of  their  mar- 
tyrdom. But  what  excited  the  admiration  of  all  was 
not  only  the  ardor  with  which  children  gave  in  their 
names  to  be  inscribed  on  the  lists  of  Christians  which 
were  drawn  up,  but  also  their  apprehension  lest  they 
should  escape  death.  Finally,  this  movement  gradu- 
ally subsided  on  the  news  that  none  should  be  put  to 
death  except  the  religious  arrested  at  Meaco  and  at 
Osaca  with  a  few  Christians.  Twenty-six  were  ac- 
cordingly crucified  at  Nagasaki  on  the  5th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1597.  Of  this  number,  there  were  six  religious 
of  the  order  of  St.  Francis,  Blessed  Peter  Baptist, 
their  Superior,  Blessed  Martin  de  Aguirre  of  the 
Ascension,  and  Francis  Blanco,  Priests,  with  three 
brothers,  Philip  de  Las  Casas  or  of  Jesus,  Blessed 
Francis  de  Parilha  or  of  Saint  Michael,  and  Blessed 
Gonsalvo  Garcia  ;  three  Japanese  Jesuits,  Blessed 
Paul  Miki,  Blessed  John  de  Gotto,  and  Blessed 
James  Kisai ;  the  others  w^ere  domestics,  boys 
who  served  at  the  altar,  or  catechists  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Franciscan  religious  and  arrested  with 
them  in  their  houses,  or  fervent  Christians  who  of 
their  own  accord  had  joined  the  troop  of  martyrs. 
These  generous  confessors  were  beatified  by  Urban 
VIII.  in  1627,  and  canonized  in  1862  by  Pius  IX. 

The  year  following  (1598),  Taico-Sama  died,  and 
the  Church  had  an  interval  of  peace.  The  first  care 
of  the  Bishop  Don  Louis  Secheira,  and  of  the  Visi- 
tor Father  Valignani,  was  to  re-establish  the  afi'airs 
of  their  diocese  and  communities.     Fresh  bands  of 


116  LIFE   OF   THE 

missionaries  arrived  from  Cliina ;  thirty  new  estab- 
lishments were  opened  by  the  Society  of  Jesus ;  the 
Seminary  of  Nagasaki  was  reorganized  and  soon 
numbered  eighty  students ;  they  reconstructed  the 
residences  which  had  been  destroyed,  and  new  ardor 
for  the  holy  cause  manifested  itself  in  every  kingdom. 
The  conversions  were  numerous.  One  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  infidels  were  converted  and  received 
baptism  in  the  years  1599  and  1600,  and  this  onward 
movement  was  far  from  subsiding. 

In  1601  other  religious  of  various  orders  arrived  in 
Japan  to  aid  with  the  ministry  of  their  zeal.  This 
same  year,  for  the  first  time,  were  native  secular 
clergy  found  administering  to  the  spiritual  wants  of 
this  generous  people.^  Some  Christian  kings,  es- 
pecially in  the  island  of  Ximo,  labored  like  true  apos- 
tles in  the  conversion  of  their  subjects.  loscimon, 
deprived  of  his  kingdom  of  Bungo,  humbled  himself 
under  the  hand  of  God,  and  by  his  admirable  penance 
repaired  the  scandal  of  his  apostacy.  If  calm  and 
peace  had  thus  continued,  the  entire  empire  of  Japan 
would  have  been  converted,  and  what  happy  results 
would  not  thence  have  followed  in  the  eastern  world ! 

The   new  emperor,   Daifu-Sama,   or   Cubo-Sama,^ 

'  The  Jesuits  are  then  falsely  accused  of  not  being  farorable  to 
the  formation  of  native  clergy  in  the  country  which  they  evangel- 
ized. If  they  have  not  done  everywhere  else  what  they  did  in  Ja- 
pan, it  is  because  they  did  not  find  subjects  susceptible  of  the  same 
culture. 

^  A  great  confusion  generally  exists  in  the  Japanese  proper  names. 
We  designate  the  great  persecutor  by  the  iiSLine  Daifu-Sama  ;  Cubo- 
Sama  is  a  more  generic  appellation. 


( 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  117 

« 

wlio  had  usurped  the  throne  of  Findeioiy,  son  of 
Taico-Sama,  did  not  yet  manifest  any  hostile  inten- 
tions. On  the  mediation  of  the  Christian  princes,  he 
forbade  his  ill-disposed  governors  to  oppress  the 
faithful  in  any  way  ;  he  went  so  far  as  to  issue  public 
edicts  by  which  he  allowed  the  Jesuits  to  form  new 
residences.  Some  persecutions,  however,  took  place 
here  and  there  ;  these  were  warnings  of  which  God 
made  use  to  preserve  this  most  illustrious  Christian 
community  in  its  exemplary  fervor  up  to  the  time  of 
the  great  persecution. 

Before  the  relation  of  this  terrible  trial  of  the 
Church  in  Japan,  we  shall  accompany  our  Blessed 
Charles  Spinola  in  his  apostolic  labors. 

II. — Commencement  of  his  Laeoes  in  Japan. 

The  Blessed  Charles  Spinola,  with  a  band  of  illus- 
trious missionaries,  arrived  in  Japan  during  the  in- 
terval of  calm  which  separates  the  partial  persecution 
of  Taico-Sama  from  the  violent  one  which  signalized 
the  reign  of  Daifu-Sama.  He  had  then  an  oppor- 
tunity of  proving  the  ardor  of  his  zeal  before  he 
glorified  Jesus  by  the  heroism  of  his  courage. 
During  the  first  ten  years  he  appeared,  in  the  most 
varied  employments,  a  perfect  model  of  evangelical 
laborers  ;  for  the  ten  following  years,  during  the  per- 
secution, always  above  every  other  interest  but  that 
of  his  divine  Master,  he  displa^^ed  in  turn  the  pru- 
dence of  the  serpent  and  the  simplicity  of  the  dove. 

The  holy  missionary  was  first  required  to  learn  the 


118  LIFE   OF   THE 

language  of  tlie  country.  For  this  purpose  lie  was 
sent  to  Arima,  tlie  capital  of  the  kingdom  of  the  same 
name,  where  the  Society  had  a  college ;  and  to  afford 
him  more  occasions  of  speaking  the  language  which 
he  learned  in  the  exercise  of  his  zeal,  he  was  thrown 
into  communication  with  the  young  Japanese.  Of 
these,  such  as  seemed  to  be  of  the  most  promising 
dispositions  were  educated  in  the  seminary  then  de- 
pending on  the  college  of  Arima,  and  which  had  been 
transferred  from  Nagasaki.  This  seminary  was 
founded  and  still  supported  by  alms  gathered  for  this 
purpose  in  Europe,  and  by  the  liberality  of  John, 
king  of  Arima.  It  was  one  of  the  bright  hopes  of 
the  Church  in  Japan.  Nothing  in  it  was  neglected 
to  enable  its  inmates  to  become  one  day  the  defend- 
ers and  propagators  of  Religion  among  their  country- 
men. The  better  to  succeed  in  this,  the  students  of 
highest  merit  were  admitted  .into  the  Sodality  of  the 
Blessed  Yirgin,  of  Avhich  the  direction  w^as  confided 
to  Father  Spinola. 

This  was  a  fresh  testimony  of  esteem  on  the  part 
of  his  superiors,  and  the  fame  of  his  sanctity  must 
have  been  well  established  when  like  undertakings 
were  proposed  to  him  from  every  quarter.  Here, 
the  future  of  his  dear  mission,  and  of  the  most  pre- 
cious and  efficacious  element  in  the  salvation  of  souls, 
was  concerned.  Animated  with  this  thought,  the 
fervent  missionary  devoted  himself  unreservedly  to 
the  duties  of  his  charge  with  all  the  consolation  of  a 
great  heart  inflaming  his  fellow-men  with  his  own  love 
for  Jesus.     His  direction  was,  moreover,  full  of  wis- 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  119 

dom,  and  especially  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the 
Church  in  Japan.  In  the  midst  of  this  choice  Chris- 
tian community,  there  was  need  of  saints,  of  men 
adequate  to  the  trials  and  emergencies  of  the  most 
atrocious  persecutions;  and  from  this  congregation 
were  to  come  forth  leaders  capable  of  sustaining 
the  others  in  the  confession  and  defence  of  the  Faith. 
Thus  judged  the  holy  director,  and  on  this  judgment 
were  framed  rules  for  the  admission  and  training  of 
the  members.  He  examined  the  candidates  atten- 
tively ;  such  as  were  found  to  have  the  required  qua- 
lities were  prepared  for  their  reception  by  a  retreat 
of  eight  days,  during  which  time  they  made  a  gen- 
eral confession.  He  seemed  to  omit  no  means  of  en- 
ticing them  to  the  formation  of  solid  virtue  in  their 
hearts.  His  great  delight  was  to  pass  some  time  after 
meals  in  company  with  these  his  spiritual  children, 
And  to  recreate  them  with  spiritual  things. 

Directions  as  to  the  manner  of  practising  mental 
prayer,  the  different  exercises  of  mortification,  the 
means  of  advancing  in  the  most  necessary  virtues, 
and  analogous  subjects  which  he  rendered  interest- 
ing, furnished  him  occasions  of  communicating  to 
these  young  hearts  that  divine  love  with  which  he 
himself  was  so  inflamed.  An  extraordinary  fervor 
among  all  was  the  fruit  of  his  solicitude.  A  young 
member  of  the  sodality,  who  had  passed  but  six 
months  under  his  direction,  died  in  the  odor  of 
sanctity. 

Our  Blessed  did  not  lose  sight,  however,  of  the 
special  end  of  these  first  occupations,  and  so  at  the 


120  LIFE   OF   THE 

close  of  the  year  he  had  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  the 
Japanese  language  to  enable  him  to  devote  himself 
entirely  to  the  holy  ministry.  His  virtue  and  pru- 
dence marked  him  out,  moreover,  for  some  important 
post.  His  superiors  did  not  think  the  care  of  a  mis- 
sion, in  the  midst  of  so  many  difficulties,  to  be  above 
his  capacity  and  merit. 

III. — His  Pastoeal  Functions. 

In  all  the  infidel  countries,  every  college  is  natu- 
rally at  first  a  centre  of  apostolic  excursions,  then  of 
established  parochial  residences,  around  which  group 
the  newly  converted.  The  isolated  condition  of  the 
missionary  is  in  many  respects  a  detriment,  and  es- 
pecially so  to  the  preservation  of  the  interior  apos- 
tolic spirit  of  the  missionaries  themselves.  In  order 
to  maintain  this  happy  fervor,  and  at  the  same  time 
to  insure  unity  of  action  amongst  them,  it  is  neces- 
sary that  on  certain  days  they  should  come  to  reno- 
vate their  spirits  among  their  brethren,  concert  with 
them  their  plans  of  action,  make  known  their  success, 
expose  their  difficulties,  and  receive  the  advice  of 
their  superiors.  This  method  was  practised  at  the 
college  of  Arima,  whither  the  missionaries'of  the  sur- 
rounding country  repaired  every  two  months.  At  a 
distance  of  three  miles  from  this  centre  was  a  large 
town  of  eight  thousand  souls,  named  Aria. 

To  our  Blessed  Charles  the  spiritual  care  of  this 
place  was  assigned.  He  had  a  companion,  though 
not  the  beloved  disciple  who  had  hitherto  shared  his 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  121 

toils  and  dangers.  Blessed  Jerome  de  Angelis  re- 
ceived another  appointment,  and  rejoined  liis  master 
only  to  accompany  him  to  martyrdom.  If  this  sepa- 
ration affected  them,  they  did  not  evince  it,  and  they 
doubtless  adored  the  designs  of  God,  who  is  pleased 
to  purify  his  elect  and  elevate  them  by  the  sacrifice 
of  earthly  affections. 

The  new  pastor  of  Aria,  on  assuming  the  care  of 
others,  did  not  neglect  the  most  important  point,  his 
own  sanctification.  He  resolved  not  to  leave  his 
fiock  Vvdthout  reason,  but  also  never  to  omit  attend- 
ing the  meetings  at  the  Arima  College,  and  there  de- 
vote the  time  he  could  spare  to  a  serious  review  of 
his  own  conscience.  Thus  disposed  he  began  his 
labors.  For  the  first  time  the  zealous  missionary 
found  what  he  so  ardently  desired — a  field  to  culti- 
vate in  that  land  of  martyrs ;  a  flock  to  form  and 
sanctify  by  all  the  means  that  the  Saviour  has  be- 
queathed to  us.  He  had  to  provide  for  all  the  spiri- 
tual wants  of  these  Christians.  He  was,  in  all  the 
extent  of  the  word,  their  good  and  holy  pastor.  Yet 
his  ministry  had  not  the  lustre  which  general^  en\d- 
rons  the  steps  of  the  first  missionaries  in  a  heathen 
country,  it  flattered  no  illusion,  and  gave  no  earthly 
satisfaction ;  all  was  obscure  and  monotonous  ;  but 
this  was  the  post  that  Jesus,  his  divine  Head,  had  as- 
signed to  him — the  devoted  soldier  asks  no  more. 

Most  of  his  time  was  absorbed  by  the  administra- 
tion of  the  holy  sacraments,  of  which  he  endeavored 
to  render  the  use  frequent  and  easy.  In  regard  to 
the  sick  his  care  was  untiring.  At  any  hour  of  the 
11 


122  '  LIFE   OF   THE 

clay  or  night  that  his  assistance  was  invoked,  he  has- 
tened as  though  he  had  nothing  else  to  claim  his 
time.  Sometimes,  returning  fasting  from  one  ex- 
tremity of  his  vast  parish,  he  would  receive  a  mes- 
sage summoning  him  in  all  haste  to  the  opjDOsite  ex- 
tremity ;  then,  without  taking  time  to  touch  a  httle 
nourishment,  his  principal  food  was,  after  the  exam- 
ple of  his  divine  Master,  to  do  the  will  of  Him  who 
sent  Him.  It  was  in  fact  the  only  thing  that  could 
have  sustained  him  amid  so  great  labors,  and  given 
him  that  admirable  equality  of  application  and  fer- 
vor, so  difficult  to  maintain  when  the  body  is  weary 
and  broken. 

The  great  object  of  pastoral  solicitude,  in  his  eyes, 
was  instruction,  especially  the  elementary  instruction 
of  his  flock.  Ever  since  his  Cremona  and  Porto  Rico 
missions  this  conviction  had  been  but  strengthened 
in  his  mind.  He  instructed  on  all  occasions.  Obliged 
to  restrain  his  zeal  in  public,  because  the  storm  of 
persecution  still  muttered  in  the  distance,  he  made 
up  for  this  by  extraordinary  labor — indeed,  in  private 
conversations.  He  multiplied  his  visits,  he  adapted 
his  instructions  to  the  wants  of  each,  and  thus  infused 
into  some  souls  not  only  the  most  sublime  truths  but 
the  most  heroic  sentiments. 

A  good  pastor's  care  is  not  confined  to  spiritual 
wants,  it  extends  to  those  of  the  body  also.  And  the 
times  were  hard  for  many  Christians.  The  persecu- 
tion had  reduced  many  noble  families  to  indigence, 
precisely  those  distinguished  by  the  fervor  of  their 
religious  sentiments,  and  who  in  the  daj^s  of  their 


BLESSED   CHAELES  SPINOLA.  123 

opulence  liad  been  the  pillars  of  the  rising  church. 
Ordinary  motives  of  gratitude  were  here  heightened 
by  gratitude  and  respect  due  to  confessors  of  Jesus 
Christ.  After  sharing  with  them  his  scanty  means 
of  existence,  the  charitable  pastor  exerted  himself 
among  their  countrymen  and  the  Portuguese  to  afford 
them  at  least  absolute  necessaries. 

The  reader  may  ask  how  the  holy  man  was  able  to 
undergo  so  many  occupations  ?  And  yet  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Christians  did  not  so  absorb  him  but  that 
he  found  some  moments  of  the  day  to  devote  to  the 
idolaters.  His  ardent  zeal  received  a  fresh  stimulus 
from  an  incident  related  by  himself  in  a  letter  to  his 
Brethren  in  Portugal.  One  day  he  was  crossing  a 
plain,  when  at  some  distance  he  perceived  a  crowd 
around  an  object  that  he  could  not  discern.  Asking 
a  passer  by,he  learned  that  the  child  of  an  infidel  was 
djmg  there  a  few  steps  from  him  before  the  eyes  of 
the  crowd.  His  course  is  soon  adopted.  Dipping 
his  handkerchief  in  the  nearest  pool  of  water,  he  ran 
up,  pushed  aside  the  spectators,  approached  the 
child,  and  as  though  administering  some  corporal 
remedy,  pressed  out  the  water  on  its  head  pronoun- 
cing the  sacramental  words.  The  child  thus  baptized 
died  some  hours  after.  The  holy  man  felt  so  much 
joy  at  saving  this  soul,  that  by  this  conquest  alone, 
to  use  his  own  expression,  he  felt  amply  repaid  for 
all  his  past  and  future  labors. 

"With  such  an  esteem  for  souls  and  for  the  Precious 
Blood  shed  for  them,  his  devotedness  and  success 
may  be  conceived.     Not  satisfied  with  the  ordinary 


124  LIFE   OF   THE 

invitations  to  idolaters,  lie  entered  into  their  appre- 
ciation of  tilings,  and,  like  St.  Francis  Xavier,  con- 
formed to  their  usages  ;  he  surmounted  the  repug- 
nance of  nature  and  the  most  legitimate  habits  to 
become  like  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  all  things  to 
all  men,  to  gain  them  to  Christ.     Thus  did  he  merit 
the  special  gift  which  he  seems  to  have  received  from 
heaven  for  the  conversion  of  the  Japanese.     His  suc- 
cess was  really  prodigious,  especially  when  we  con- 
sider that  precisely  at  this  time  a  sort  of  terror  over- 
spread the  country,  and  the  missionaries  themselves 
were  obliged  from  prudence  to  moderate  their  pros- 
elytism.     Authentic  documents  employed  in  the  pro- 
cess foi'  the  beatification  of  the  venerable  servant  of 
God,  demonstrate  that  during  his  residence  in  Japan 
he  baptized  with  his  own  hand  more  than  five  thou- 
sand idolaters.     What  would  have  been  the  result 
had  he  been  enabled  to  devote  himself  constantly  to 
the  work  of  conversions,  or  had  longer  retained  his 
pastoral  functions?     But  he  did   not  remain  quite 
two  years  at  Aria ;  the  following  years  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  interior  of  the  community. 

IV. — His  Domestic  Offices. 

As  soon  as  Blessed  Charles  was  familiarized  with 
the  usages  of  the  country,  and  knew  by  his  own  ex- 
perience the  life  and  necessities  of  the  religious 
houses  in  Japan,  he  was  summoned  to  more  delicate 
functions  of  a  general  interest.  He  had  spent  nearly 
two  years  at  Aria,  just  long  enough  to  create  a  last- 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  125 

ing  attachment  in  his  flock  for  him,  when  he  received 
orders  to  leave  them.  For  ordinary  men,  these  ab- 
rupt changes  are  painful  trials  insupportable  even  for 
some,  but  the  holy  religious  was  far  above  such 
weakness.  Long  before  landing  in  Japan  he  had 
contracted  the  habit  of  the  most  simple  and  absolute 
obedience.  At  the  first  sign  of  his  superior's  will  he 
set  out  for  Meaco,  then  capital  of  Japan. 

In  this  city,  the  centre  of  pagan  fanaticism,  under 
the  eyes  of  the  emperor,  the  Jesuits  had  a  flourishing 
college,  which  bythe  number  and  rank  of  its  students, 
and  by  its  central  position,  exercised  an  important 
influence  over  the  other  houses  of  the  Society.  And 
how  often  has  not  the  religious  spirit  been  lo^  or  re- 
vived in  a  whole  order,  as  it  rose  or  fell  in  h  single 
house  !  Here,  then,  the  principles  and  customs  of 
apostolic  life  were  to  be  maintained  in  vigor,  and 
that  at  a  critical  moment  when  the  slightest  faults 
might  entail  such  grave  consequences  for  the  future. 
To  watch  over  these  interests  required  not  only  a 
man  of  tried  and  exemplary  life,  but  one  gifted  with 
those  rare  qualities  which  command  respect  as  much 
as  love.  Blessed  Charles  Spinola  was  this  man,  and 
for  the  seven  years  that  he  held  the  office  of  minister, 
he  fully  justified  the  opinion  conceived  of  his  merit 
and  virtue. 

For  a  college  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  has  two  duties  : 
to  require  of  each  exactness  in  all  his  duties,  and  fur- 
nish him  all  that  his  health  and  employments  re- 
quire. The  least  inclination  to  severity  or  indulgence 
offends  or  relaxes,  and  nothing  is  more  difficult  than 


126  LIFE   OF   THE 

to  unite  by  a  just  moderation  mildness  with  firmness, 
fortiter  et  snavifer.  Blessed  Charles  succeeded  to 
that  degree  that  in  his  lifetime  he  was  proposed  as  a 
model  by  his  first  superiors.  Father  Francis  Pache- 
co,  one  of  the  most  eminent  missionaries  of  the  time, 
urged  young  missionaries  to  maintain  frequent  and 
intimate  intercourse  with  that  fervent  religious,  es- 
pecially in  order  to  learn  of  him  the  practice  of  per- 
fect charity.  By  an  imperturbable  goodness  of  heart, 
was  the  holy  missionary  ever  distinguished  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties.  Zealous  as  he  was  for  religious 
discipline,  he  placed  the  care  of  his  brethren  in 
Christ  above  the  duty  of  admonishing  them  ;  he  did 
both  with  a  mildness  and  equanimity  that  never 
varied. 

He  was  severe  only  to  himself.  He  was  thus  se- 
vere at  all  times  without  evincing  it ;  but  in  a  college, 
and  in  such  a  post,  it  was  impossible  to  conceal  from 
the  young  religious  the  rigors  of  his  mortification. 
After  the  example  of  St.  Paul,  "  he  chastised  his 
body  to  bring  it  into  subjection."  When  in  good 
health  he  used  his  discipline  every  night,  and  during 
Lent  he  prolonged  this  exercise  to  blood.  He  fre- 
quently wore  a  hair  shirt,  the  points  of  which  entered 
his  flesh.  He  fasted  on  the  eves  of  all  important 
feasts,  and  his  ordinary  diet  was  a  sort  of  perpetual 
fast.  He  had  completely  renounced  all  that  can  be 
called  the  delicacies  of  the  table.  He  would  not  even 
touch  the  fruits  which  in  that  country  are  sought  as 
a  necessity  by  Europeans.'     When  at  a  later  day  he 

^  Saint  Francis  Xavier  in  his  letters  warns  missionaries  tliat  in 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  127 

was  obliged  on  account  of  liis  liealtli  to  take  some, 
an  order  of  liis  superiors  prescribing  them  was  neces- 
sary. 

So  austere  a  life  admirably  disposed  him  for 
prayer.  Having  broken  down  the  obstacles  raised 
by  the  senses  to  God's  action  on  souls,  he  rose  with- 
out effort  and  found  in  his  union  with  Jesus  a  first 
reward  of  his  sacrifice.  The  annual  retreat  was  his 
delight.  His  first  care  was  to  choose  a  time  when  he 
was  less  likely  to  be  interrupted  in  his  communings 
with  God  :  his  next  care  to  cut  off  vigorously  during 
the  time  all  external  occupations :  finally,  if  the  cir- 
cumstances permitted  him,  he  prolonged  his  retreat 
beyond  the  eight  days  prescribed  by  the  rule,  and  he 
annually  made  the  great  retreat  of  a  month  assigned 
by  Saint  Ignatius  only  to  the  years  of  probation. 
What  then  passed  in  his  soul  can  only  be  conjectured 
from  the  surprising  effects  of  his  zeal  and  love.  He 
came  forth  from  these  communications  with  God  like 
another  Moses,  all  penetrated  v/ith  the  divine  Pres- 
ence, and,  so  to  speak,  imbued  with  Jesus ;  and  his 
mouth  spoke  from  the  fulness  of  his  heart.  These 
sentiments  were  maintained  by  the  fervor  of  his  daily 
meditation  and  all  other  religious  acts.  He  there  en- 
joyed consolations  and  ravishments  which  he  in  vain 
endeavored  to  conceal.  During  holy  Mass  his  face 
was  ordinarily  radiant  and  his  breast  palpitated  ;  his 

Japan  they  will  find  no  food  but  rice,  some  vegetables,  and  insij^id, 
unsubstantial  lierbs ;  and  tliat  the  mission  requires  not  only  men  of 
tried  and  superior  virtue,  but  also  of  a  robust  constitution,  "  such  as 
Belgians  and  Germans,"  he  adds. 


128  LIFE   OF   THE 

tears  streamed  down  abundantlv.  As  we  have  seen, 
he  drew  from  the  true  fountain,  "  from  the  Saviour's 
fountains,"  fortitude  of  soul  and  the  love  of  suffering, 
of  which  his  life  furnishes  continual  proof.  We  will 
here  cite  an  example  where  his  courage  served  to 
uphold  some  Portuguese. 

During  his  stay  at  Meaco  it  happened  that  some 
Japanese  came  to  complain  to  the  emperor  of  the 
conduct  of  Portuguese.  In  a  dispute  with  some  mer- 
chants of  that  nation  at  Macao,  they  had  been,  they 
said,  ill  treated  by  them  and  their  countrymen.  The 
emperor  received  the  complaint,  but  resolved  to  await 
a  favorable  moment  to  punish  the  wrong  done  his 
subjects.  The  occasion  could  not  fail  to  offer  soon, 
on  account  of  the  commercial  intercourse  between 
Macao  and  Japan.  The  first  Portuguese  ship  that 
arrived  was  seized ;  the  captain  and  his  officers  were 
taken  to  the  palace  to  undergo  the  punisLment  it 
might  please  his  Japanese  majesty  to  inflict.  The 
least  resistance,  it  was  said,  would  entail  the  massacre 
of  all  foreigners.  Matters  Avent  no  further,  but  these 
arrests  and  threats  had  filled  all  minds  with  alarm  ; 
many  Portuguese  regarded  themselves  already  as  vic- 
tims doomed  to  death,  when  the  calm  words  of  Blessed 
Spinola  came  with  all  their  unction.  He  appeased 
the  tumult  and  filled  all  hearts  with  the  sentiment 
which  raises  the  Christian  above  the  tyrants  of  earth. 

This  incident  shows  us  that  the  man  of  God  pos- 
sessed abroad  the  same  authority  that  he  exercised  so 
mildly  at  home.  All  felt  the  influence  of  his  zeal,  and 
the  force  of  circumstances  gradually  gave  him  new 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  129 

charges.  Witliout  neglecting  his  duties  as  minister, 
he  had  a  confessional  in  the  church,  he  made  apos- 
tolic excursions  out  of  the  city,  he  directed  as  at 
Arima  a  very  important  sodality  and  also  took  a  very 
active  part  in  the  astronomical  observatory  of  the 
college.  He  found  means  to  meet  all,  and  seemed  to 
multiply  himself.  He  showed  assiduity  in  the  confes- 
sional and  a  patience  that  more  than  once  excited  the 
admiration  of  the  public  as  well  as  of  his  brethren. 
In  his  excursions  he  was  so  unsparing  of  himself  that 
he  sometimes  was  in  serious  danger.  One  day  he  at- 
tempted to  cross  a  river  in  a  wretched  boat,  which 
capsized,  plunging  the  missionary  into  the  current. 
He  was  drawn  out  alive,  but  his  health  was  affected 
and  he  w^as  long  subject  to  very  painful  rheuma- 
tism. 

If  in  consequence  of  this  malady  he  was  less  en- 
gaged abroad,  he  devoted  himself  all  the  more  ar- 
dently to  his  work  of  predilection,  the  Catechists'  So- 
dality. As  its  name  indicates,  this  sodality  was  com- 
posed of  catechists  ;  its  special  object  was  works  of 
mercy.  It  collected  the  alms  of  the  more  wealthy 
Christians,  in  order  to  relieve  indigent  families,  take 
care  of  the  sick  and  save  little  children,  there  as  ra 
China  exposed  on  the  river  side  by  idolatrous  parents. 
As  is  evident,  such  a  sodality  contained  in  embryo 
the  great  charitable  institutions  that  constitute  the 
glory  of  the  nineteenth  century  :  Tlie  Society  of  St. 
Yincent  de  Paul,  the  Association  for  the  Propagation 
of  the  Faith,  with  that  of  the  Holy  Infancy.  To  the 
catechists,  these  useful  auxiliaries  to  missionaries,  it 


130  LIFE    OF  THE 

proved  a  scliool  of  sanctity  and  a  continual  exercise 
of  apostolic  zeal. 

The  direction  of  these  men  afforded  Blessed  Charles 
a  precious  opportunity  of  displaying  all  the  resources 
of  his  talent  and  devotedness.  In  works  of  charity, 
he  did  not  merely  exhort,  but  he  also  readily  con- 
tributed in  person,  not  only  by  begging  from  door  to 
door,  but  by  carrying,  on  his  own  shoulders,  the  va- 
rious objects  he  received.  Thus  laden,  he  would  visit 
the  poor  and  miserable,  and  with  the  nourishment  of 
the  body  administer  the  much  more  precious  sj^iritual 
aliment  of  the  word  of  God.  He  neglected  no  one  ; 
if  he  showed  any  preference,  it  was  for  the  more  mis- 
erable and  disgusting  objects  of  charity.  In  these 
visits,  joy  beamed  on  his  comely  visage.  The  noble- 
ness of  his  origin  betrayed  itself  in  the  appearance  of 
him  become  as  a  menial  for  the  love  of  Christ ;  and 
all  he  did  for  his  own  humiliation  served  but  to  ex- 
cite the  most  profound  veneration  for  him  wherever 
he  went. 

This  sentiment  of  veneration  was  more  general 
even  among  the  higher  orders.  In  their  eyes  the 
science  of  the  holy  missionary  equalled  his  sanc- 
tity ;  and  no  sermon  was  more  efficacious  for  them 
than  to  behold  the  same  man  pass  from  the  lowly 
hovel  of  the  poor  to  the  observatory  of  the  professor. 
Herein  our  Blessed,  who  excelled  in  this  latter  de- 
partment, explained  to  them  the  various  celestial  phe- 
nomena, and  his  lessons  were  received  with  admira- 
tion.^ 

^  The  Jesuits'  observatories  in  Japan  were  not  simply  means  of 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  131 

We  may  then  easily  couceive  liow  great  must  have 
been  the  astonishment  and  the  painful  emotions  which 
agitated  the  faithful  of  Meaco,  when  the  news  of  his 
approaching  departure  was  announced.  During  the 
seven  j^ears  which  thej  had  the  happiness  of  possess- 
ing him,  they  had  considered  him  as  the  necessary 
man,  the  indispensable  instrument  of  God's  Provi- 
dence towards  them.  But  the  same  reasons  which 
called  him  from  Aria  to  Meaco  caused  him  to  pass 
from  this  latter  city  to  Nagasaki,  there  to  discharge 
the  duties  of  Procurator-General  of  the  whole  Jap- 
anese mission. 

The  Procurator  is  entrusted  with  the  administration 
of  the  temporal  affairs,  that  is  to  say,  of  the  human 
means  of  existence.  This  office,  everywhere  of  great 
importance  for  the  stability  of  apostolic  undertakings, 
was  moreover,  in  Japan,  of  a  very  difficult  and  deli- 
cate nature.  No  establishment  owned  anything  as 
its  own  :  ihere  was  a  common  fund,  whence  the  pro- 
curator endeavored  to  provide  for  all  the  wants  of  the 
mission.  But  how  often  was  he  not  obliged  to  see 
the  most  necessary  supplies  delayed  !  What  charity 
on  the  one  hand,  and  what  confidence  on  the  other, 
in  order  that  the  distribution  of  supplies  should  give 

conversion  among  an  inquiring  and  intelligent  nation  ;  they  were 
also  means  of  scientific  progress.  Blessed  Charles  Spinola,  in  this 
respect,  rendered  real  services,  which  are  mentioned  in  our  Euro- 
pean records.  Witness  the  following,  which  I  owe  to  the  kindness 
of  Father  Aug.  De  Backer : 

Observation  of  a  hmar  eclipse,  by  Rev.  Father  Charles  Spinola,  at 
Nagasaki  in  1612,  and  inserted  in  the  Memoirs  of  the  Academy  of 
Sciences,  vol.  7,  page  700. 


132  LIFE    OF   THE 

rise  to  no  complaints,  no  mnrmurs.  Once  more,  it 
was  far  more  the  virtue  of  our  Blessed,  than  his  well 
estabhshed  abilities,  which  caused  him  to  be  named 
to  this  office,  precisely  at  the  moment  when  the  per- 
secution was  about  to  render  life  more  painful  and 
resources  more  scanty.  The  difficulties  and  the  dan- 
gers of  the  post  were  too  visible  and  too  serious  not 
to  affect  him  :  he  understood  and  received  them  with 
the  calm  courage  which  characterized  his  great  soul : 
but  he  could  not  refrain  from  sentiments  of  deep  sen- 
sibility at  the  sight  of  the  scenes  of  attachment  and 
of  regret,  which  marked  his  farewell  to  the  Christians 
of  Meaco.  His  catechists  especially,  disconsolate  at 
the  loss  of  their  kind  Father,  seemed  unable  to  part 
with  him — they  escorted  him  a  considerable  distance 
from  the  city,  and  then  bathed  in  tears  received  his 
last  instructions  and  directions,  asserting  their  invio- 
lable fidelity  to  the  faith  of  Christ.  The  sequel 
proved  their  sincerity. 

Nagasaki,  the  commercial  metropolis  of  Japan, 
was  naturally  designed  to  be  the  residence  of  the 
Procurator-General  of  the  Mission.  He  remained 
there  seven  years,  discharging  the  duties  to  the  satis- 
faction of  his  brethren  in  the  Apostleship,  up  to  the 
moment  he  was  cast  into  the  horrible  prison  of  which 
we  are  soon  to  speak.  From  the  commencement  of 
his  administration,  he  was  obliged  to  conceal  himself 
from  the  pursuit  of  the  tyrant,  and  it  was  only  through 
the  greatest  efforts  that  he  could  then  procure  even 
slender  means  for  the  persecuted  missionaries.  But 
it  is  time  to  give  an  account  of  this  persecution  which 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  133 

for  two  centuries  and  a  half  lias  oppressed  the  finest 
portion  of  the  Oriental  Church.    * 

V. — The  Great  Persecution. 

No  persecution  has  ever  produced  more  disastrous 
results  than  that  excited  against  the  Christians  of 
Japan  by  the  Emperor  Daifa-Sama.  There  as  every 
where  else,  it  may  be  truly  said  that  the  blood  of 
martjTS  is  the  seed  of  Christians ;  but  the  infernal 
plan  was  so  ably  combined,  the  torments  so  horribly 
prolonged,  the  searches  so  thorough,  that  finally,  after 
thirty  years  slaughter,  not  a  victim  was  left,  not  a 
Christian  was  to  be  found,  not  a  trace  of  Christianity 
remained.  Did  the  Faith  still  reserve  to  itself  a  last 
asylum  in  the  depths  of  consciences  and  in  the  secrecy 
of  the  domestic  sanctuary  ?  We  can  suppose  so,  and 
the  future  will  perhaps  produce  the  proof.'  What- 
ever it  be,  let  us  give  in  a  few  words  the  leading  facts 
of  this  persecution  unparalleled  in  the  annals  of  the 
world. 

The  Church  in  Japan,  after  sixty-two  years  of  exis- 
tence, contained  in  1612  nearly  two  millions  of  Catho- 
lics. The  number  of  missionaries,  not  including  the 
Japanese  priests  and  the  Catechists,  was  one  hundred 
and  fifty,  all  religious :   nine   Dominicans,  fourteen 

^  Since  the  above  was  written,  most  interesting  news  has  been 
received  from  Japan,  wbicli  shows  that,  by  a  prodigy  of  God's  grace, 
large  numbers  of  Christians  are  still  to  be  found  in  that  land  of  per- 
Becution.  In  the  introduction  we  have  given,  extracts  may  be  seen 
Irom  the  Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith  for  March  1869. 

12 


134:  LIFE   OF   THE 

Franciscans,  four  Augustinians,  and  one  hundred  and 
twentj-three  Jesuits.  The  latter  had  possessed  one 
hundred  and  sixty  houses,  but  forced  to  bend  to  the 
violence  of  the  storm,  they  possessed  at  the  moment 
only  thirty  colleges  or  residences.  This  prosperous 
state  was  much  enhanced  by  the  excellent  dispositions 
of  the  Christians  themselves.  The  noble  qualities  of 
the  Jax)anese  were  very  favorable  to  religion;  they 
had  become,  under  the  action  of  divine  grace,  heroic 
virtues,  which,  even  in  the  weaker  sex  and  in  the  ten- 
derest  age,  we  shall  see  raising  them  superior  to  the 
most  cruel  tortures. 

Daifu-Sama,  as  we  had  remarked,  had  begun  his 
career  by  suspending  all  persecution  against  the 
Christians,  and  he  continued  to  follow  this  course 
until  1612.  At  this  tim.e,  the  most  perfidious  influ- 
ences combined  to  produce  a  great  change  in  his 
mind.  The  rapid  diffusion  of  Christianity  in  his  do- 
minions of  itself  presented  nothing  alarming  to  the 
monarch,  but  his  pagan  courtiers,  jealous  of  the  favor 
of  their  master,  v/ere  afraid  of  being  supplanted. 
They  revived  the  suspicions  vdiich  had  already 
proved  so  successful  with  Taico-Sama  : 

"  Was  it  likely  that  men  learned  and  prudent,  as, 
beyond  all  doubt,  these  Europeans  were,  would 
have  abandoned  their  country,  traversed  the  seas, 
endured  numberless  hardships,  with  the  sole  view  of 
benefiting  strangers,  without  consulting  their  own 
self-interest '?  No,  no ;  rehgion  served  them  as  a 
pretext :  it  covered  the  design  of  conquering  Japan, 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  135 

as  it  had  served  to  subject  tlie  Philippines  to  the 
King  of  Spain." 

These  repeated  insinuations  caused  the  emperor  to 
reflect  on  this  matter  ;  they  disposed  him  to  interpret 
unfavorably  acts  of  some  Europeans  which  were,  of 
themselves,  most  indifferent.  A  Spanish  ambassador 
arrived  in  Japan  upon  one  of  those  enormous  vessels 
which  the  vanity  of  the  Castillians  willingly  dis- 
played ;  the  pilot,  on  approaching  land,  fearing  to 
strike  on  reefs  where  several  vessels  had  been  al- 
ready lost,  advanced  slowly  and  cautiously,  sounding 
as  he  went. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  murmur  the  Japanese ; 
*'  why  this  minute  exploration  ?^' 

"  Why  ?"  replies  some  ill-disposed  Protestant ; 
"  among  Europeans  the  question  would  be  quickly 
solved." 

"  How  so  ?" 

"  The  manner  in  which  the  Spaniards  have  acted 
would  be  considered  as  an  insult  and  a  sort  of  decla- 
ration of  war ;  moreover,  it  is  plain  enough,  the  con- 
quest of  Japan  is  half  accomplished ;  the  missionaries 
have  done  the  work ;  their  action  is  more  certain  and 
efficient  than  that  of  an  army." 

Candid  explanations  might,  perhaps,  yet  have  pre- 
vented the  effect  of  this  excitement  and  brought  the 
Emperor  back  to  friendly  dispositions,  but  the  com- 
mercial interests  of  the  Europeans  had  suggested  to 
them  a  new  source  of  profit.  For  a  long  time,  the 
English  and  Hollanders  had  everywhere  followed  in 
the  track  of  the  Portuguese  and  Spaniards.     They 


136  LIFE    OF   THE 

were  especially  jealous  of  the  privileges  which  the 
commerce  of  these  nations  enjoyed  in  the  far  East. 
This  jealousy  was  further  embittered  by  religious 
prejudice.'  In'  England,  as  well  as  in  Holland,  the 
government  was  bitterly  hostile  to  Catholics  and  pur- 
sued them  by  persecuting  laws.  The  merchants  and 
rovers  carried  the  popular  prejudice  to  the  ends  of 
the  earth.  They  distorted  everything  to  injure  the 
Catholic  nations.  An  idolatrous  emperor,  suspicious 
of  all  foreigners,  was  easily  persuaded. 

Daifu-Sama's  mind  being  thus  poisoned  by  their 
representations,  the  Christian  religion  was  thencefor- 
ward in  his  eyes  nothing  but  a  treacherous  device 
made  use  of  by  the  King  of  Spain ;  and  the  Jesuits 
but  political  emissaries,  whom  several  of  the  gov- 
ernments had  for  similar  reasons  banished  their 
country.  "  "What  is  there  to  prevent  me  from  doing 
the  same  ?"  one  day  inquired  the  Emperor.  And 
he  at  once  wrote  to  the  King  of  Arima,  and  renewed 
an  ancient  edict  which  prohibited  any  noble  or  soldier 
to  profess  the  Christian  religion. 

This  measure  showed  the  policy  of  the  deceived 
monarch ;  while  he  thus  branded  Christianity  as  a 
disgrace  to  nobility  and  to  the  profession  of  arms,  he 
wished  to  prepare  defenders  against  foreigners.  If 
he  expected  to  cause  the  Christian  officers  of  his 
court  to  apostatize,  he  was  disappointed.  These 
worthy  servants  of  God  declared  unanimously  that 
while  they  obeyed  the  emperor  in  all  things  else, 
they  remained  resolute  on  this  point.  Such  was  also 
the  answer  of  the  nobles  and  of  the  soldiers  in  the 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  137 

provinces,  and  four  hundred  of  them  suffered,  with 
constancy,  confiscation  of  their  pr< 

In  the  kingdom  of  Arima,  all 
tian,  the  persecution  immediate 
violent  character.  Michael  Suqi 
reigned  there,  having  reached  t1 
cide.  Through  ambition,  he  r 
wife,  in  order  to  espouse  the  mei 
His  chief  counsellor  was  an  aud 
Suffioye,  governor  of  Nagasaki. 
Suquendono  had  recourse  to  degrading  punishments 
against  the  Christians — to  proscription,  to  means  of 
destruction  and  punishments  hitherto  unknown  in 
Japan.  On  the  6th  of  October,  1613,  he  caused  eight 
of  the  first  nobility  of  the  city  of  Arima  to  be  burned 
to  death. 

Twenty  thousand  Christians  assembled  to  witness 
the  execution  or  rather  the  triumph  of  their  brethren. 
They  formed  in  procession  and  moved  on  in  great 
order  with  the  martyrs,  reciting  prayers  and  chanting 
hymns.  Arrived  at  the  place  of  punishment,  they 
stood  in  ranks  around  the  funeral  piles,  as  if  to  offer 
to  God  the  first  fruits  of  this  glorious  community.  I 
cannot  forbear  inserting  here  two  incidents  related 
by  Father  de  Charlevoix  in  his  History  of  Japan. 

Among  these  martyrs  were  James  Mundo,  a  boy  of 
twelve,  with  his  sister  Magdalen,  aged  twenty,  and 
their  mother. 

The  cords  which  attached  the  boy  being  burnt,  he 
ran  through  the  flames  to  embrace  his  mother  and 
die  in  her  arms ;  not  escape,  as  some  thought  at  first. 


138  LIFE   OF   THE 

"  My  son,"  exclaimed  this  incomparable  woman, 
"My  son,  look  up  to  heaven;  say:  Jesus,  Mary!" 
The  poor  boy,  repeated  thrice:  "Jesus,  Mary!"  and 
fell;  the  mother,  at  the  same  moment,  sank  upon 
him,  and  they  expired  together. 

The  daughter  of  this  heroine  presented  a  spectacle 
still  more  surprising.  She  alone  still  remained  erect, 
and  though  enveloped  in  flames  she  appeared  full  of 
life  and  vigor.  On  beholding  her  thus  immovable, 
with  her  eyes  sweetly  raised  towards  heaven,  one 
would  have  said  she  was  quite  insensible  ;  on  a  sud- 
den, however,  it  was  noticed  that  she  v/as  gathering 
burning  coals,  which  she  placed  upon  her  head  in 
form  of  a  crown.  She  seemed  thus  to  deck  herself 
before  going  to  meet  her  divine  Spouse.  She  then 
sank  down  the  stake,  reclined  upon  the  couch  of  fire 
and  expired.^ 

When  the  news  of  this  imposing  demonstration 
reached  the  emperor,  it  produced  upon  his  mind  an 
effect  which  the  enemies  of  Christianity  did  not  fail 
to  turn  to  their  own  advantage. 

"  To  what  could  not  the  audacity  of  such  men  be 
led  ?"  "  What  blind  devotedness  to  a  crucified 
man  !  What  contempt  for  the  gods  of  the  country, 
and  for  the  orders  of  the  emperor !  Would  it  not  be 
necessary  to  exterminate  this  sect  even  to  the  last 
vestige,  and  at  any  cost?" 

^  The  relics  of  these  martyrs  were  collected,  and  a  brief  of  Urban 
VIII.,  to  the  Carmelites  of  Florence,  mentions  "  the  bone  of  the  hand 
of  the  Blessed  Mary  Magdalen,  a  Japanese  virgin,  who  had  suffered 
martyrdom  by  fire  for  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ." 


BLESSED    CHARLES    SPINOLA.  139 

These  suggestions  liacl  their  effect.  On  19th  Eeb- 
ruarj,  1614,  the  decree  was  pubhshed  at  Meaco  and 
sent  to  all  the  kingdoms  of  Japan  which  obliged  all  the 
missionaries  to  ])roceed  to  JSfagasalci  icitliin  seven  days, 
and  to  emharJcfor  their  oicn  country  ivithout  delay.  The 
most  severe  penalties  were  pronounced  against  all 
who  harbored  them. 

The  order  was  too  formal,  this  time,  to  be  eluded 
entirety.  Prudence,  therefore,  suggested  prompt 
submission.  The  missionaries  gave  their  last  instruc- 
tions to  the  faithful  how  to  act  during  the  persecution, 
and  with  intense  bitterness  of  grief  but  with  equal  firm- 
ness on  the  part  of  both,  they  were  obliged  to  part 
with  the  children  whom  they  had  begotten  in  Christ. 
Some,  and  by  far  the  greater  number,  went  into  exile, 
the  rest  concealed  themselves  to  minister  to  the 
Christians. 

The  persecution,  opened  in  this  decisive  way,  pur- 
sued its  course.  Churches  were  demolished,  all  ex- 
ternal signs  of  Catholic  worship  suppressed,  and  on 
the  26th  of  February,  only  four  days  after  the  de23ar- 
ture  of  the  missionaries,  the  streets  of  Meaco  re- 
echoed the  sweeping  proscription :  "  Whoever  does 
not  abjure  the  Christian  religion  shall  be  burnt 
ahve."  "  The  rebels,"  added  the  herald,  "  have  only 
to  prepare  their  own  stakes."  Serious  or  in  jest, 
these  words  produced  an  unexpected  effect :  the  next 
day  all  the  streets  of  the  city  were  lined  with  stakes, 
each  Christian  wishing  to  evince  his  eagerness  to  die 
for  his  religion.  Before  such  a  manifestation  the 
emperor  recoiled,  and  at  first  merely  banished  to  the 


140  LIFE   OF   THE 

north  the  heads  of  the  highest  famihes.  Then  the 
deportation  became  more  general.  Before  the  close 
of  the  year  two  convoys  set  sail,  one  for  Macao,  the 
other  for  the  Philippines.  They  comprised  illustri- 
ous laymen,  such  as  Justo  Ucondono,'  with  his 
family,  ninety-six  Jesuits,  several  other  rehgious  of 
various  orders,  and  a  great  number  of  catechists,  in 
all  fifteen  hundred  persons — the  flower  of  the  Japa- 
nese Church.  Several  of  these  missionaries  subse- 
quently entered  Japan  in  various  disguises,  and  many 
others  were  allured  by  the  hope  of  gaining  the  mar- 
tyr^s  crown. 

The  civil  war  between  Daifu-Sama  and  the  son  of 
Taico  gave  the  faithful  a  short  respite.  After  a  bloody 
battle,  Taico's  son,  besieged  in  the  castle  of  Osaca, 
preferred  to  die  amid  the  flames,  rather  than  surren- 
der to  his  former  guardian.  The  latter  did  not  long 
enjoy  his  victory  ;  he  died  in  March,  1616,  leaving  the 
the  throne  to  his  son,  Xongun,  and  to  his  descendants, 
who  have,  till  so  recent  a  date,  retained  it.  He  at 
the  same  time  bequeathed  to  them  his  hatred  of 
Christianity.  The  fire  of  persecution  was  rekindled 
throughout  the  empire,  and  ravaged  especially  the 
congregations  of  the  faithful  in  the  islands  of  Firando 
and  Ximo,  nor  was  it  to  cease  till  there  were  no  more 
victims.  Till  then  it  was  a  gigantic  struggle  between 
the  tyrants  and  the  faithful ;  the  former  incessantly 
inventing  tortures,  more  and  more  atrocious,  the  latter 

'  Tliis  illustrious  confessor  of  Christ  died  at  Manilla  in  tlie  odor 
of  sanctity. 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  141 

seeming  to  draw  new  energy  from  the  very  refinements 
of  cruelty.  Tliey  were  torn  with  pincers,  their  bodies 
gashed  all  over,  their  necks  slowly  sawed ;  they 
were  roasted  for  several  hours ;  means  were  discov- 
ered to  keep  them  alive  for  days,  hung  up  by  the  feet 
with  their  heads  in  a  pit :  nothing  shook  their  con- 
stancy. Even  at  the  stake  they  blessed,  exhorted, 
chanted  the  praises  of  God.  Thus  died  in  the  outset 
of  the  persecution  thousands  of  Christians,  and,  by  a 
touching  disposition  of  divine  Providence,  the  acts  of 
their  martyrdom  were  collected  and  sent  to  Home  by 
Blessed  Charles  Spinola.  Thus  what  he  had  former- 
ly done  from  devotion,  he  now  did  as  a  duty,  and 
with  the  authority  conferred  by  his  title  of  Yicar-Gen- 
eral  for  the  Southern  part  of  the  Empire.  While 
awaiting  till  it  should  be  given  him  to  share  the  glory 
of  the  martyrs,  he  celebrated  it,  and  prepared  for  it 
by  the  labors  we  are  now  to  describe. 

YI. — Secret  Missions  of  Blessed  Charles  Spinola. 

The  missionaries  had  disappeared  with  all  outward 
signs  of  Christian  worship,  but  they  had  not  all  left 
Japan.  The  post  was  dangerous,  and,  for  this  reason, 
sought  by  all  these  valiant  soldiers  of  Christ.  Each 
in  emulation  put  forward  his  claims.  The  bishop 
having  just  died,  the  clergy  elected  as  vicar-general 
Father  de  Carvajal,  provincial  of  the  Jesuits.  It  was 
hard  for  a  pastor  to  leave  his  flock  at  such  a  moment, 
but  banished  by  name,  and,  moreover,  too  well  known 
to  elude  the  pursuit  directed  against  him,  he  could  not 


142  LIFE   OF   THE 

remain  in  Japan  without  compromising  with  himself 
the  whole  church.  The  procurator-general  was  natu- 
rally the  one  to  replace  him  ;  as  a  precious  grace  he 
asked  permission  to  remain  with  the  persecuted  faith- 
ful, basing  his  request  on  the  duties  of  his  office.  He 
could  not  but  be  accepted.  They  were  too  happy  to 
retain  at  the  head  of  the  Christian  body  a  man  of  so 
much  experience  and  tried  prudence.  Our  saint  was 
accordingly  appointed  with  twenty-two  Fathers  of  the 
Society  and  several  other  religious  to  attend  to  the 
interests  of  the  mission  during  the  persecution. 

At  this  intelligence  the  holy  missionary,  habitually 
calm  and  reserved,  could  not  refrain  from  expressions 
of  joy.  In  the  decision  arrived  at  by  his  superior,  he 
beheld  a  sure  pledge  of  the  martyrdom  which  awaited 
him  ;  he  now  regarded  the  office  previously  imposed 
upon  him  as  a  means  intended  by  God  for  this  object ; 
he  recalled  with  admiration  the  constant  w^ays  of 
Providence  over  him,  and  revelled  in  the  sentiment  of 
happiness.  "This  feeling  is  such,"  he  wrote  to  a  Fa- 
ther in  Europe,  "  that  it  even  surpasses  the  joy  I  ex- 
perienced on  being  sent  to  Japan." 

Meanwhile,  Suffioye,  governor  of  Nagasaki,  pre- 
pared to  execute  the  emperor's  orders  vigorously ;  he 
framed  his  plans  especially  to  prevent  any  religious 
from  finding  an  asylum  in  the  city  confided  to  his  ad- 
ministration. The  customs  of  Japan  facilitated  the 
organization  of  his  police.  In  that  country  all  the 
streets  have  barriers  closed  at  nightfall,  and  each 
quarter  has  its  commissary  to  watch  over  its  inhabi- 
tants.     The   governor    commanded   each   of    these, 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  143 

ander  penalty  of  confiscation  and  death,  not  to  permit 
any  religious  to  remain  in  his  district.  These  orders, 
with  the  penalties  pronounced  against  harborers,  ren- 
dered the  position  of  the  missionaries  very  difficult 
and  delicate.  But  Christian  charity  was  not  to  be 
overcome  by  the  world's  hatred ;  only  it  has  recourse, 
for  religion's  own  interests,  to  all  the  precautions  pru- 
dence could  suggest.  Blessed  Charles  Spinola,  like 
most  of  the  missionaries,  felt  obliged  to  use  these  pre- 
cautions. He  desired  martyrdom,  but  he  would  not 
hasten  to  the  executioner.  He  feared  to  destroy  his 
mission  or  advance  the  hour  appointed  by  the  Sove- 
reign Master  of  Life.  While  awaiting  this  hour,  he 
devoted  himself,  with  a  noble  heart,  to  the  afflicted 
church  and  the  Christians  persecuted  for  the  faith. 

With  this  view  he  began  by  cha,nging  his  name, 
and  to  show  the  secret  desire  of  his  soul,  called  him- 
self Joseph  of  the  Cross.  But  he  could  not  as  easily 
change  his  countenance ;  disguise  himself  as  he  might, 
he  could  not  appear  in  public  without  being  instant- 
ly recognized  as  a  European.  He  was  accordingly 
obliged  to  keep  shut  up  by  day,  and  to  invent  a  thou- 
sand devices  to  deceive  the  police  at  night.  He  was 
incessantly  obliged  to  change  his  hiding-place  so  as 
to  baffle  pursuit ;  all  the  Christian  houses  were  open 
to  him,  but  he  could  enter  none  without  exposing  his 
best  friends,  or  himself  to  be  betrayed  by  some  false 
brother.  This  last  danger  filled  his  painful  position 
with  bitterness.  A  few  unhappy  men,  who  in  the  vio- 
lent tortures  had  apostatized  gave  rise  to  distrust 
and  necessarily  diminished  mutual  intercourse.     The 


144  LIFE   OF   THE 

police,  on  tlieir  side,  aware  of  tlie  Father's  presence, 
increased  tlieir  rigor  and  vigilance,  and  of  course  paid 
treachery  well.  How  was  it  possible  to  escape  so 
many  snares  without  a  special  protection  of  God? 
He  could  not  be  hid  and  merely  seek  to  save  his  own 
life  ;  amid  spies  and  informers  ever  on  the  alert, 
Hving  from  day  to  day  without  any  resource,  he  had 
nevertheless  the  duty  of  pastor  and  apostle  to  fulfil ; 
baptize  children,  administer  to  the  dying,  hear  confes- 
sions, confer  the  other  sacraments,  celebrate  mass, 
more  than  once  even  on  Sundays  ;  support  the  weak, 
restrain  the  rash,  devote  himself  to  all  the  increasing 
wants.  Yet  our  Blessed  Charles  led  this  life  for  four 
years.  He  thus  speaks  of  it  himself,  with  habitual 
modesty,  in  a  letter  dated  March  20,  1617,  and  ad- 
dressed to  Father  Lambertengo,  at  Milan  : 

"  For  nearly  two  years  and  a  half  I  have  devoted 
myself  to  encourage  and  support  the  Christians  of 
this  country,  not  without  great  difficulty.  Having  no 
home,  I  pass  secretly  from  house  to  house,  to  hear 
confessions  and  celebrate  our  holy  mysteries  by  night. 
Most  of  my  time  I  spend  in  utter  solitude,  deprived 
of  all  human  converse  and  consolation,  having  only 
that  which  God  gives  to  those  who  suffer  for  his  love. 
What  affects  me  most  is,  to  see  the  ravages  com- 
mitted in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord ;  not  only  the 
branches  and  the  budding  fruit  torn  by  the  wind  of 
persecution,  but  the  grapes,  whose  approaching  ma- 
turity was  about  to  reward  us  for  so  many  souls. 
However  I  am  tolerably  well,  and,  though  destitute  of 
almost  everything  and  taking  but  one  scanty  meal  a 


BLESSED   CHAFvLES   SPINOLA.  14:5 

day,  1  do  not  fall  away.  Does  not  tliis  prove  that 
"man  livetli  not  by  bread  alone  ?" 

Meanwhile  the  great  consolation  which  the  holy 
missionary  promised  himself  in  this  painful  ministry 
seemed  to  flee  him  ;  he  escaped  all  pursuit,  and  more- 
over the  rumor  ran  that  the  Japanese  authorities 
had  ceased  putting  foreign  priests  to  death.  But  his 
anxiety  on  this  point  was  not  of  long  duration.  On 
the  22d  of  May,  1617,  the  emperor  Xongun  put  to 
death  two  missionaries,  Father  J.  B.  Machado,  a 
Jesuit,  and  Father  Peter  of  the  Assumption,  a  Fran- 
ciscan, both  of  the  number  of  martyrs  beatified  by 
Pius  IX.  on  the  7th  of  July,  1867.  At  this  event 
Blessed  Charles  felt  all  his  dearest  hopes  suddenly 
revive,  as  he  was  nearly  captured  himself.  He 
needed  to  pour  out  his  soul,  as  he  did  in  a  letter 
vrritten  on  the  5th  of  October  to  the  General,  Father 
Mutius  Vitelleschi.  We  extract  the  following  pas- 
sage : 

"  How  happy  I  deem  myself  to  have  remained 
here  to  witness  so  glorious  a  triumph  !  I  should 
have  obtained  the  same  favor,  I  have  no  doubt,  had 
I  not  been  confined  to  my  room  by  erysipelas  for  two 
months.  If  I  had  then,  as  I  had  proposed,  been  able 
to  visit  the  two  Christian  districts  confided  to  my 
care,  I  should  doubtless  have  been  discovered  and 
taken  by  the  soldiers  of  Omura.  My  sins  have  de- 
prived me  of  this  noble  crown,  and  I  feel  all  my  own 
unworthiness.  Still  to  judge  by  what^I  see,  the  grace 
is  but  deferred,  not  lost.  Awaiting  it,  I  devote  my- 
self entirely  to  the  Christians,  whom  I  exhort  to  face 


146  LIFE    OF   THE 

martyrdom  courageously,  holding  myself  ever  in 
readiness  to  lay  down  my  life  for  Him  wlio  so  gener- 
ously sacrificed  his  for  me.  As  my  duty  of  procura- 
tor prevents  my  keeping  myself  as  carefully  concealed 
as  the  other  Fathers,  who  have  occasion  to  apply  to 
me,  I  expect  to  be  the  first  to  undergo  imprisonment 
and  death." 

The  last  phrase  of  the  letter  confirms  what  has 
been  already  said  of  his  sentiments  in  regard  to  the 
duties  of  his  office.  He  clings  to  it  in  hopes  of  mar- 
tyrdom, as  indeed  he  did  to  all  the  perilous  functions 
of  the  holy  ministry.  He  could  not  be  accused  of 
rashness  ;  he  neglected  no  reasonable  precaution  : 
but  when  requisite  he  strode  through  the  midst  of 
dangers  with  perfect  serenity  and  a  holy  eagerness 
to  consummate  his  sacrifice.  In  this  disposition  he 
pursued  his  secret  apostleship  till  the  day  of  his 
arrest. 

The  emperor  Xongun,  worthy  son  of  Daifu,  was 
deeply  incensed  to  learn  not  only  that  some  mission- 
aries still  remained  in  Japan,  but  their  number  had 
even  been  increased.  By  his  order  Gonroc,  the  new 
o-overnor  of  Nagasaki,  used  every  means  to  entrap 
them.  He  adroitly  spread  the  report  that  the  new 
governor  was  opposed  to  useless  vexations  ;  that  he 
would  indeed  watch  all  going  around  at  night,  but 
that  he  did  not  intend  to  harass  the  people  by  domi- 
ciliary visits.  These  rumors  were  too  encouraging 
to  excite  confidence,  and  Blessed  Charles  Spinola, 
instead  of  becoming  less  guarded,  redoubled  his  pre- 
cautions.    Hid  in  the  most  secret   apartments,  he 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  147 

came  forth  only  to  confess  the  sick,  or  when  ordered 
by  the  Father  Visitor ;  he  even  for  a  time  abstained 
entirely  from  exercising  the  holy  ministry.  He  ap- 
peared thus  more  secure  than  ever,  when  God  visited 
him  with  a  malady  which  required  him  to  leave  his 
place  of  retreat  in  order  to  be  treated  in  a  house  bet- 
ter located.  He  took  up  his  residence  with  a  poor 
Portuguese  named  Dominic  Giorgi,  and  refrained 
from  all  intercourse  with  persons  abroad. 

Whether  he  had  at  this  time  ,some  premonitory 
revelation  of  his  approaching  martyrdom,  as  some 
have  thought,  it  is  impossible  to  say.  He  certainly 
had  a  presentiment.  During  the  last  month  of  his 
liberty,  all  noticed  in  him  an  extraordinary  increase 
of  fervor.  He  devoted  more  time  to  prayer,  he  cele- 
brated Mass  with  greater  devotion  and  in  a  sort  of 
ecstacy ;  his  conversation  was  more  than  usually 
marked  by  a  holy  joy  and  a  sweet  affabilitj^  His 
accounts  had  always  been  well  kept.  He  revised 
them,  and  confided  the  books  with  explanatory  notes 
to  another  Father.  Two  days  before  his  arrest,  on 
leaving  his  habitual  meditation,  he  called  his  cate- 
chist,  and,  like  a  man  making  all  his  last  arrange- 
ments, gave  him  some  articles  to  conceal  in  a  secure 
place,  and  some  pictures  to  distribute  to  his  friends 
after  his  death.  Then  taking  two  rosaries,  "  Give 
one,"  he  said,  "  to  your  sister,  the  other  to  your 
younger  brother."  He  had  now  left  only  a  small 
Japanese  hat,  which  he  ofiered  his  catechist.  The 
latter  declined,  saying  he  did  not  need  it.  "  Keep 
it,"   said   the   Father,    "  to   remember   me."     *'  Ah ! 


148  LIFE   OF   THE 

Father,"  said  the  affected  catecliist,  "  I  need  nothing 
to  remind  me  of  you  :  you  have  done  too  much  for 
me  ever  to  forget  you,  and  besides  I  will  never  sur- 
vive you.  I  will  chng  so  to  3^ou  that  they  shall  not 
put  you  to  death  without  killing  me."  "  As  for  me," 
said  the  holy  man,  "  what  God  wills  will  happen  to 
me  ;  but  for  you,  you  shall  not  be  harmed."  The 
event  justified  his  words. 

The  preceding  details  have  been  transmitted  to  us 
by  eye-witnesses  ;  what  follows  is  drawn  chiefly  from 
a  letter  written  to  the  Eector  of  the  College  of  Milan 
by  Father  Spinola  himself,  from  the  prison  at  Omu- 
ra,  March  3,  1619. 

The  house  of  the  Portuguese  seemed  no  longer  to 
afford  a  secure  shelter,  and  Father  Spinola  resolved 
to  withdraw  to  some  other.  He  was  to  make  this 
change  on  the  eve  of  the  feast  of  St.  Lucy,  December 
13,  1618,  when  he  received  a  visit  from  a  missionary. 
On  the  other  hand,  his  host's  wife,  Elizabeth  Fer- 
nandez, wishing  to  receive  communion  on  the  follow- 
ing morning,  begged  of  him  to  grant  her  this  last 
consolation ;  even  his  friends,  far  from  hastening  his 
departure,  advised  him  to  wait,  as  it  would  afford  a 
few  more  hours  to  provide  for  a  new  retreat ;  the 
Father  was  to  say  mass  before  daybreak,  and  remain 
carefully  concealed  until  the  very  moment  of  his  de- 
parture. Such  were  the  designs  of  man,  but  Divine 
Providence  had  another  fate  in  store  for  him. 

Father  Spinola  had  retired  to  bed  and  was  sleep- 
ing. Towards  midnight  he  thought  he  heard  thieves 
breaking  the  doors  and  making  their  way  into  the 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  149 

house  ;  it  was  only  a  dream :  having  found  that  his 
alarms  were  groundless,  he  tried  in  vain  to  sleep 
again.  Scarcely  half  an  hour  after,  Gonroc's  soldiers 
really  appeared.  They  forced  an  entrance  and  im- 
mediately rushed  to  the  bedchamber  of  Brother  Am- 
brose Fernandez.  They  seized  him,  as  well  as  the 
master  of  the  house,  hurried  them  off,  and  when  on 
the  point  of  leaving,  as  they  passed  a  second  time 
before  Father  Spinola's  room,  one  of  them  opened 
the  door  and  discovered  him.  The  holy  man  had 
heard  everything,  and  from  the  first  moment  had  be- 
taken himself  to  prayer,  leaving  his  fate  in  the  hands 
of  Divine  Providence.  Seeing  that  he  vv^as  discov- 
ered, he  raised  his  eyes  and  hands  towards  heaven, 
and  in  a  burst  of  unutterable  joy,  humbly  thanked 
God. 


150  LIFE   OF  THE 


PART    IV. 
MARTYRDOM. 

1. — The  Examination. 

Henceforth  ^\e  sliall  follow  our  lioly  Apostle  on 
the  sorrowful  way,  whicli,  marked  at  every  step  by 
suffering,  will  lead  him  at  last  to  the  stake.  It  is 
martyrdom  in  all  its  horror,  or  to  speak  more  correct- 
ly, with  all  its  sublimity.  Such  an  end  could,  if  need 
be,  atone  for  the  most  culpable  wickedness  ;  it  is  in 
short  an  act  of  unbounded  love;  Jesus  has  said  it, 
and  the  Church  proposes  it ;  as  soon  as  she  has  es- 
tablished the  fact  of  martyrdom,  she  closes  the  pro- 
cess of  canonization,  she  bows  before  him  whom  God 
crowns  in  heaven,  and  invites  the  faithful  to  do  like- 
wise. If  this  holds  good  for  every  case  of  martyr- 
dom, what  shall  we  say  concerning  the  sublime  death 
of  Father  Spinola,  which  closed  the  holy  career  we 
have  thus  traced?  What  shall  we  say  of  a  four  years' 
martyrdom,  endured  with  the  most  heroic  constancy  ? 
But  let  us  come  to  facts  and  gather  with  respect  the 
most  trifling  particulars. 

Father  Spinola  had  been  discovered  amidst  the 
shouts  of  the  soldiers.  In  their  eyes  he  was  the  head 
of  the  Christians.     Wliat  a  victim !     They  fell  upon 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  151 

him,  pnt  a  rope  around  his  neck,  bound  his  hands  and 
feet,  and  so  cruelly  did  the  ropes  leave  their  marks 
deep  in  his  flesh,  that  he  bore  them  for  the  rest  of  his 
life.  In  this  state  he  was  dragged  off  with  Brother 
Fernandez  and  his  Portuguese  host  before  the  gover- 
nor, where  shortly  after  two  Dominican  Fathers  ar- 
rived. That  day  and  the  following  night  they  passed 
together  in  a  barnyard  near  a  stable,  exposed  to  all 
the  risfor  of  the  seasons.  Whilst  there,  some  Chris- 
tian  servants  of  the  governor  slackened  the  bonds  of 
our  martyr,  and  he  spent  the  night  in  hearing  their 
confessions.  Whilst  there  also,  the  four  religious  ob- 
tained and  put  on  their  habits. 

The  following  morning  Gonroc  summoned  them 
before  him,  and  after  asking  them  their  name,  age, 
and  their  country,  spoke  as  follows,  addressing  Father 
Spinola : 

"I  do  not  understand  your  conduct ;  you  come 
here,  as  you  claim,  to  give  life  to  the  Japanese  ;  but 
you  do  quite  the  contrary  ;  many  Japanese  lose  their 
lives  on  your  account."  He  evidently  knew  nothing 
or  pretended  to  know  nothing  of  the  first  elements  of 
the  question.  The  Father  took  advantage  of  this  op- 
portunity to  teach  him  some  sahitary  truths.  He 
spoke  as  follows : 

"This  mortal  life,  my  lord,  and  everything  depen- 
dent on  it,  swiftly  ^Dass  away  ;  we  must  one  day  leave 
them  all.  What  is  of  deep  moment  to  all  and  de- 
serves all  our  care  is  our  soul,  wliich  is  immortal. 
Since  then  the  welfare  of  the  soul  depends  on  our 
keeping  the  Law  of  Christ,  what  wonder  if  the  Japan- 


152  LIFE   OF   THE 

ese  who  li  ave  understood  this  truth  show  their  joy  at 
obtaining  life  everlasting,  at  the  cost  of  a  slight  sacri- 
fice, "the  sacrifice  of  this  miserable  temporary  exis- 
tence. For  my  part,  I  have  for  many  years  sighed 
after  this  happy  moment ;  and  since,  thanks  to  you,  I 
have  arrived  at  the  consummation  of  my  Avishes,  I  am 
filled  with  gratitude.  Far  from  complaining  of  the 
emperor  or  his  ministers,  I  beg  of  God  with  my 
whole  heart  to  reward  them,  by  granting  them  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  leading  them  in  the  path 
of  salvation." 

The  governor  of  course  had  nothing  to  say  in  reply, 
for  he  abruptly  left  to  dine.  After  dinner  he  summoned 
Father  Spinola  alone;  the  latter  was  brought  to  a 
private  room,  where  the  governor  and  two  friends 
were  waiting  for  him.  Then  Gonroc  made  him  un- 
dergo a  searching  and  insidious  examination,  which 
resulted  in  nothing  except  in  making  manifest  the 
missionary's  presence  of  mind,  or  rather,  the  divine 
help,  which 'our  Lord  has  promised  to  those  who  v/ill 
confess  his  faith  in  similar  circumstances. 

"  How  came  you  to  take  up  your  abode  in  Japan," 
asked  the  governor,  "  and  in  what  houses  did  you 
conceal  yourself?" 

"  Christians,"  replied  the  Father,  "  have  a  thousand 
ways  of  escaping  the  vigilance  of  their  enemies  ;  but 
I  cannot  make  them  known,  nor  betray  the  friends, 
who  have  harbored  me." 

"  If  you  are  so  delicate  regarding  your  friends,  why 
did  you  expose  them  to  death  by  hiding  yourself  in 
their  houses  ?" 


BLESSED   CHAKLES  SPINOLA.  153 

"  I  Lave  never  intended  to  liurt  any  person.  If  I 
have  enjoyed  the  hospitahty  of  any  Japanese,  it  is 
because  they  had  invited  me  for  the  good  of  their 
souls;  moreover,  I  first  exposed  myself  for  their 
sake." 

"  But  if  the  emj^eror  does  not  wish  your  presence 
in  his  dominions,  why  do  you  obstinately  remain 
here,  in  spite  of  his  prohibition  ?" 

"Permit  me,  my  lord,  to  ask  a  question  in  my 
turn.  If  a  king  of  Japan  gave  you  a  command,  and 
Xongun,  lord  of  all  the  kings  of  Japan,  ordered  you 
to  do  the  contrary,  which  of  the  two  would  you 
obey?  Would  you  not  do  the  will  of  the  emperor 
and  justify  your  conduct  before  his  inferior  ?  Such 
is  m}^  position ;  I  do  all  in  my  power  to  show  m}'  re- 
spect for  the  emperor.  Although  I  am  a  religious,  I 
do  not  w^ear  the  habit  of  my  order ;  I  do  not  preach 
in  public ;  I  conceal  myself  and  perform  the  duties 
of  my  office  in  darkness  and  at  night.  But  since  the 
Lord  of- heaven  and  earth,  the  King  of  kings,  com- 
mands me  to  continue  in  the  discharge  of  my  minis- 
try, I  think  it  my  duty  to  obey  his  sovereign  Avill, 
even  at  the  risk  of  my  life." 

"Ingenious  sophism,",  exclaimed  the  governor, 
turning;  to  his  friends. 

"  My  lord,"  replied  Spinola,  "  this  is  no  sophism, 
it  is  an  eternal,  unchangeable  law,  which  we  cannot 
alter;  much  less  is  it  a  scheme  to  obtain  possession 
of  your  countries  and  your  empire,  as  some  persons 
think.  If  this  v/ere  so,  we  could  have  brought  you  a 
religion  less  severe  and  more  pleasing  to  the  great 


154  LIFE   OF  THE 

ones  of  the  earth  than  our  religion  is  ;  we  would  have 
preached  a  law  flattering  to  the  senses  ;  and  we 
would  not,  as  you  yourselves  own  we  do,  abstain  from 
carnal  pleasures,  or  at  least  we  would  act  as  your 
Bonzes — combine  outward  austerity  with  secret  indul- 
gence." 

The  bold  apostle,  receiving  no  answer,  continued 
to  expose  the  follies  of  the  Japanese  worship,  until 
Gonroc  bade  his  friends  call  the  two  Dominican 
Fathers.  Father  Spinola  remained  to  act  as  inter- 
preter. Being  alone  with  his  judge,  he  took  advan- 
tage of  the  opportunity  to  speak  to  him  concerning 
the  kingdom  of  God  and  to  exhort  him  to  become  a 
Christian. 

"  You  are  too  enlightened,  my  lord,"  said  he  to  the 
governor,  "  to  die  in  such  a  faith  as  yours ;  for  I  do 
not  charge  upon  you  the  cruel  treatment  inflicted  on 
me ;  you  fulfil  the  commands  of  others.  Be  in- 
structed in  a  more  perfect  Law  than  that  of  your 
Bonzes  and  idols.  My  zeal  for  your  welfare  urges 
me  to  speak  thus  to  you." 

Gonroc  smiled  at  these  words,  and  having  ascer- 
tained that  no  one  was  near  enough  to  hear  him,  he 
answered  that  the  Christian  religion  did  not  please 
him. 

"  You  do  not  love  it,  because  you  know  it  not,"  an- 
swered our  apostle ;  "  receive  instruction  and  you 
will  like  it." 

Here  he  was  interrupted  by  the  arrival  of  the  other 
prisoners,  and  never  had  an  opportunity  to  renew  his 
conversation  with  the  governor.     The  generous  at- 


BLESSED    CHARLES    SPINOLA.  155 

tempt  of  tlie  saint  proved  without  avail ;  for  it  is 
difficult  to  convert  men  whose  wickedness  is  the 
offspring  of  ambition. 

The  examination  of  the  Dominican  Father  was 
marked  only  by  the  apostolic  intrepidity  with  w^hich 
Father  Spinola  defended  the  missionaries.  When 
asked  when  and  from  what  vessel  they  had  landed  in 
Japan,  they  answered  through  Father  Spinola,  "  that 
they  had  left  the  Philippines  a  few  months  before  ;" 
but  they  refused  to  give  the  name  of  the  owner  of  the 
ship  in  which  they  had  come,  fearing  that  it  might 
cost  him  his  life. 

*•  You  would  do  much  better,"  said  the  governor, 
sharply,  "  to  stay  at  home  and  work  out  your  own 
salvation  wdthout  troubling  us."  This  taunt  again 
changed  the  interpreter  into  the  apostle  : 

"  Priests  harm  nobody,"  said  he  ;  "  they  only  go 
whither  they  are  called.  We  know  that  many  prefer 
their  property  to  their  soul,  and  that  they  think  little 
of  missionaries.  But  there  are  more  who  aspire  to 
heavenly  favors,  and  who  receive  us  in  their  houses 
at  the  risk  of  their  lives.  Imprisonment,  nay,  death 
itself,  undergone  for  their  faith,  crowns  the  happiness 
of  these  generous  Christians.  At  their  urgent 
prayers  we  have  remained;  their  sufferings,  there- 
fore, cannot  be  imputed  to  us.  True,  we  cheerfully 
acceded  to  their  request.  The  zealous  Christian  is 
not  satisfied  with  insuring  his  own  salvation ;  charity 
is  a  fire  which  spreads  and  tends  i6  kindle  the  whole 
world.  Seeing  you  enveloped  in  the  darkness  of  er- 
ror, missionaries  leave  their  homes,  brave  the  fury  of 


156  '  LIFE    OF    THE 

the  ocean  and  come  to  die  in  Japan,  in  order  to. con- 
vey to  you  the  light  of  the  true  faith  and  the  treasure 
of  everlasting  life." 

These  words  are  but  a  feeble  sketch  of  the  dis- 
course delivered  by  Father  Spinola  on  this  occasion. 
"  Never,  as  he  owned,  had  he  felt  himself  stirred  to 
speak  with  such  eloquence  ;  and  never  had  he  spoken 
Japanese  with  so  much  ease  ;  he  referred  the  glory 
to  Him  who  fights  and  triumphs  in  his  servants. 

During  this  examination,  an  officer  from  Omura, 
for  whom  Gonroc  had  sent,  to  take  charge  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, arrived.  He  intended  to  keep  the  Japa- 
nese prisoners  at  Nagasaki,  but  the  presence  of  the 
Fathers  in  a  city  filled  v/ith  Christians  would  have 
caused  too  great  a  sensation.  For  this  reason  he 
sent  them  to  Omura,  v/here  the  Dominican  Father 
Thomas  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  Father  Apollinaris, 
a  Franciscan,  were  already  confined  with  six  native 
^Christians. 

When  it  became  known  at  Nagasaki  that  the  pris- 
oners were  to  be  sent  to  Omura,  the  people  crowded 
the  streets  through  which  the  Confessors  were  to 
pass,  and  the  throng  was  so  dense  that  the  officer 
refused  to  take  the  responsibility  of  escorting  them  ; 
he  waited  for  them  on  the  opposite  shore  of  the  bay; 
Gonroc's  soldiers  conveyed  them  to  that  point.  They 
passed  through  some  streets  of  Nagasaki  amid  the 
sobs  and  tears  of  the  faithful,  whom  the  guards  could 
not  prevent  from  approaching  the  martyrs,  to  bid 
them  farewell  and  reverently  touch  their  habits. 

Father  Spinola  would  gladly  have  addressed  them 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  157 

some  words  of  encouragement,  but  time  was  not  al- 
lowed to  him.  They  wished  to  escape  the  crowd  and 
embark.  As  he  departed  our  Saint  could  not  banish 
the  wretched  Gonroc  from  his  thoughts.  Wishing 
to  give  him  a  last  token  of  his  interest,  he  begged 
the  captain  of  the  escort  to  salute  him  from  him,  and 
assure  him  that  "he  entertained  only  the  kindest 
sentiments  towards  him." 

After  a  short  passage  over,  the  prisoners  reached 
Uraca,  where  the  Omura  officer  awaited  them  with 
horses  and  a  good  escort.  This  officer  showed  great 
civility ;  he  even  apologized  to  Father  Spinola  for 
the  duties  he  was  unwillingly  obliged  to  perform,  at 
the  same  time  unbinding  his  hands  and  giving  him  a 
good  horse.  On  the  road  to  Omura  the  prisoners 
sang  psalms  or  meditated  on  the  captivity  of  our 
Lord,  rejoicing  like  the  apostles  "  to  have  been  found 
worthy  to  suffer  for  Jesus  Christ." 

Blessed  Charles  Spinola,  ever  attentive  to  the  good 
of  souls,  availed  himself  of  a  halt  at  night  to  hear  the 
confessions  of  some  Christians  ;  for  all  the  roads 
were  full  of  them.  The  next  day,  which  was  a  Sun- 
day, the  officer,  at  the  moment  of  resuming  the 
march,  had  a  horse  brought  for  Father  Spinola ;  but 
he  preferred  to  travel  on  foot  the  short  distance  that 
led  to  the  spot  where  he  was  to  embark  for  his 
prison.  They  embarked,  and  soon  perceived  the 
sombre  building  that  was  to  be  the  bourn  of  their 
voyage. 
14 


158  LIFE   OF   THE 

II. — Thb'  Peison. 

On  a  rock  jutting  out  into  the  sea  near  a  place 
called  Suzuta,  there  rose  a  thatched  cabin.  It  was 
forty  palms  in  length  by  twenty  in  width,  that  is  to 
say,  a  little  less  than  five  yards  by  ten.  The  hill  pre- 
sented a  pleasing  aspect  from  the  freshness  of  the 
verdure,  but  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  the  sea,  it 
was  exposed  to  all  the  violence  of  the  winds  and 
tempests.  The  cabin  had  suffered  considerably,  es- 
pecially in  the  roof ;  it  was  no  longer  a  shelter,  but 
an  enclosure,  and  this  enclosure  was  to  be  the  prison. 

As  soon  as  the  three  missionaries  perceived  their 
prison,  they  intoned  the  Te  Deum  ;  this  chant  of 
thanksgiving  was  answered  by  two  priestly  voices ; 
and  the  choir  formed  of  those  advancing  to  captivity 
and  of  those  already  subjected  to  its  bitterness,  end- 
ed at  the  moment  when  they  were  able  to  give  each 
other  the  kiss  of  peace.  Such  an  entrance  into 
prison  corresponded  perfectly  to  the  dispositions  of 
our  saint.  "  I  seemed  to  enter  a  heavenly  paradise," 
he  wrote  to  the  Eector  of  the  College  of  Milan. 
Seized  with  a  holy  respect  at  the  sight  of  those  who 
had  preceded  him,  he  recalled  the  words  pronounced 
by  Pope  Saint  Clement  on  a  similar  occasion  :  "  It  is 
not  by  my  merits,"  said  he,  "  that  God  has  sent  me 
hither,  to  be  a  partaker  of  your  crowns."  His  heart 
overflowed  with  joy.  He  could  not  be  sated  with  the 
thought  of  his  joy.  "  Prisoner  for  the  faith  of  Jesus 
Christ."  After  the  example  of  St.  Paul,  he  took  no 
otller  title  till  he   could   substitute  that  of   "  Con- 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  169 

clemned  to  death  for  Jesus  Clirist."  His  letters  from 
his  prison,  many  of  which  are  still  extant,  invariably 
bear  this  signature  :  "  Carolus  incarceratus  pro  Fide 
Christi,"  and  later,  "  Carolus  rnorte  damnatus  pro 
Christiana  Fide." 

Under  the  impression  of  this  thought,  or  rather 
under  the  influence  of  this  great  grace,  it  is  easy  to 
conceive  what  must  have  been  the  first  effusions  of 
the  glorious  prisoner.  In  February,  1619,  he  wrote 
to  Father  John  Baptist  Porro  :  "  Here  I  am  at  last 
in  prison.  I  was  led  bound  like  a  robber  through 
several  streets  of  Nagasaki  to  the  seashore,  and  the 
whole  city  gathered  to  the  spectacle.  I  feel  very 
happy,  unable  to  thank  God  sufficiently  for  the  favor 
he  has  granted  me.  Reverend  Father,  unite,  I  beg, 
your  thanksgiving  to  mine,  and  obtain  for  me  the 
end,  which  you  know  has  been  for  so  many  years  tlie 
object  of  all  my  desires.  Since  we  lived  together  at 
Milan,  you  know  my  imperfections,  pray  God  to  par- 
don them.  If  my  sins  are  the  obstacle  to  my  shed- 
ding my  blood  for  my  God,  I  have  at  least  the  conso- 
lation of  having  been  found  worthy  to  suffer  oppro- 
brium for  the  name  of  Jesus ;  and  this  is  surely  no 
slight  favor.  Be  his  holy  will  accompHshed  in  me  :  I 
ask  no  other  consolation." 

To  another  Father,  who  was  at  Macao,  he  de- 
scribed the  ardor  that  animated  him  : 

"  Whereby,  my  God,  have  I  merited  the  signal  favor 
of  suffering  this  opprobrium  for  the  name  of  Jesus? 
How  I  bless  the  benign  Providence  that  has  brought 
me  from  Italy  to  Japan  !     How  well  employed  I  deem 


160  LIFE   OF   THE 

my  labors,  and  my  sufferings  well  rewarded,  even 
should  I  fail  to  win  the  crown  I  came  here  to  seek." 
Constantly  the  same  panting  for  martyrdom.  What- 
ever might  be  his  sufferings  at  the  time,  while  bless- 
ing God  for  this  first  grace,  he  offers  himself  with 
unshaken  constancy  to  suffer  more  and  consummate 
the  sacrifice.  In  the  fervor  of  the  first  days  this  dis- 
position might  appear  less  astonishing ;  but  it  never 
diminished  during  that  long  torture  of  a  noisome 
prison,  that  slow  martyrdom  of  four  years.  To  ap- 
preciate this  heroism,  it  is  necessary  to  knov/  the 
condition  of  the  prison  and  the  life  led  by  the  mar- 
tyrs. 

I  will  say  no  more  of  the  cabin  in  which  they  were 
at  first  confined.  This  old  shell,  ruinous  as  it  was, 
still  afforded  some  resource  ;  and  the  prisoners  under 
the  eye  of  their  guards  were  allowed  to  walk  in  the 
enclosure.  But  this  state  of  things  did  not  last  long. 
The  edifice  threatened  to  fall,  and  it  was  resolved  to 
rebuild  it  entirely.  They  began  by  removing  the 
captives.  On  the  21st  of  July,  1619,  they  were  all 
embarked  and  carried  to  Cubara,  a  place  not  far 
from  Omura.  They  now  numbered  sixteen,  and  had 
only  a  small  cabin  to  hold  them.  There  nothing 
shielded  them  from  the  scorching  rays  of  a  July  sun ; 
no  breath  of  wind  came  to  refresh  or  purify  the  air 
they  breathed,  the  only  window  in  the  cabin  not 
opening  even  on  the  windv/ard  side.  Their  food  was 
as  wretched  as  their  lodging.  And  yet,  in  this  posi- 
tion, "  we  were  gay  and  content,"  wrote  our  Saint  to 
the  Father  General ;  "  we  thanked  God  for  deeming 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  161 

US  worthy  to  suffer  for  liis  narae.  But  this  super- 
human courage  did  not  protect  them  from  disease. 
Dysentery  broke  out ;  and  all  would  have  died  had 
they  been  confined  in  their  tempora^ry  prison  a  few 
weeks  longer.  But  after  the  lapse  of  eighteen  days, 
as  the  Saint  states,  the  new  prison  was  completed, 
and  the  prisoners  removed  to  it  on  the  7th  of  August, 
1619. 

■  The  installation  called  forth  new  demonstrations  of 
joy  from  the  martyrs.  They  arrived  singing  psalms 
and  hymns  adapted  to  their  circumstances.  "  I  re- 
joiced in  the  things  that  were  said  to  me,  we  shall  go 
into  the  house  of  the  Lord."  They  had  ascertained 
that  the  new  habitation  would  be  more  inconvenient 
than  the  former  one  :  the  moment  they  entered  they 
saw  how  true  it  was,  and  our  Saint  addressing  the 
guards,  said  :  "  It  is  very  small,  but  I  shall  have  all 
the  larger  abode  in  heaven.  I  pity  you,  poor  unfor- 
tunate men,  who,  living  in  ignorance  and  forgetfulness 
of  God,  can  expect  only  an  eternal  captivity."  He 
then  knelt  on  the  threshold  of  his  prison,  and  rising 
resumed  the  sacred  chant  with  his  companions  : 
"  Here  is  my  rest  forever :  here  will  I  abide,  for  I 
have  chosen  it."  Let  us,  too,  in  spirit  penetrate  into 
that  abode :  let  us  lay  aside  all  false  delicacy  and 
endeavor  to  bear  at  least  the  idea  of  what  these  noble 
martyrs  endured  with  heroic  constancy. 

The  plan  of  the  prison  has  been  traced  by  Blessed 
Spinola  with  accompanying  explanations.  (See  follow- 
ing page.)  The  old  prison  was  twenty  palms  by 
forty  ;  the  new  one,  it  is  not  known  by  Avhose  order, 


R 


rillSON    AT   O.MUUA. 

From  the  sketch  sent  by  B.  Charles  Spinola. 
to  Korae. 


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f)®  i>€)@ 


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BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  163 

was  only  tv\Tntj-four  by  sixteen,  say  four  yards  by 
six/  It  was  a  refinement  of  cruelty  ;  for  tlie  perse- 
cution continued  to  gather  in  its  victims  and  heap 
prisoner  on  prisoner,  and  at  one  moment  this  space 
of  less  than  twenty-four  square  yards  held  no  less 
than  thirty-three  persons.  But  to  comprehend  the 
horror  of  this  situation  we  must  enter  into  further 
details. 

This  wretched  den  had,  properly  speaking,  neither 
walls  nor  roof.  It  was  a  kind  of  pen,  the  bars  of 
which  were  large  square  posts  fifteen  feet  high,  two 
fingers  apart,  and  united  by  crosspieces. 

There  was  a  small  window  through  which  food  was 
passed,  and  a  very  narrow  door  only  to  be  used  on 
great  occasions.  The  prisoners  never  left  their  pen 
even  in  time  of  sickness,  and  our  saint  left  it  but 
twice,  once  to  go  to  Firando,  as  we  shall  see,  and 
the  second  time,  to  march  to  the  stake.  If  space  and 
materials  were  contracted  in  building  the  interior  of 
the  prison,  they  were  lavished  in  the  rest  of  the  en- 
closure to  multiply  precautions.  On  the  plan  will  be 
seen  the  three  rows  of  palisades,  with  the  walk 
around  and  the  quarters  of  the  guards.  An  officer 
saw  to  the  strict  observance  of  the  regulations,  and 
at  the  least  sign  of  indulgence  the  guards  were 
changed. 

'  B.  Ricliard  of  St.  Anne,  in  a  letter  published  in  the  Revue  Catli- 
olique  of  Louvain  for  May,  18G7,  seems  to  make  it  24  by  16  feet 
instead  of  palms ;  but  if  the  translation  be  correct,  the  holy  man 
mentions  it  merely  incidentally,  and  cannot  be  supposed  to  be  as 
accurate  as  B.  Spinola  in  giving  a  careful  plan  of  the  prison. 


164  LIFE    OF   THE 

What  our  martyrs  had  to  endure  in  this  prison  sur- 
passes all  that  can  be  imagined.  Our  Saint  so  eager 
for  suffering  and  so  reserved  on  this  point,  neverthe- 
less writing  to  his  Father  General  goes  so  far  as  to 
say  :  "  I  can  assure  your  Reverence,  that  there  is  not 
one  among  us  who,  consulting  only  the  cry  of  na- 
ture, would  not  prefer  burning  alive  to  life  in  this 
dungeon.  .  .  .  Every  sense  here  finds  a  torture 
of  its  own."  And,  in  fact,  the  space  was  allotted  off 
so  that  they  could  not  stretch  out  and  could  scarcely 
move  ;  much  less  could  they  for  a  moment  withdraw 
from  the  sight  of  their  companions.  The  palisade 
around  gave  passage  to  the  sun,  the  winds,  and  all 
the  inclemencies  of  the  season.  During  summer  the 
heat  was  such  that  our  Saint  was,  according  to  his 
own  expression,  "  bathed  in  sweat  night  and  day." 
In  winter  the  cold  was  still  more  unsupj)ortable. 
The  rain  and  snow  entered  on  all  sides,  leaving  the 
prisoners  no  refuge.  And  they  were  in  most  utter 
destitution.  No  one  had  any  clothing  beyond  what 
he  wore  on  his  arrival,  and  of  this  no  article  was  re- 
placed, repaired,  or  washed.  Our  Saint  was  three 
years  without  changing  his  habit  or  shirt.  The  food 
was  worthy  of  all  the  rest.  "  Our  ordinary,"  wrote 
Blessed  Charles,  "  consists  of  two  dishes  of  boiled 
rice  and  a  very  disagreeable  and  bitter  juice  called 
Xire.  To  this  are  added  some  raw  roots  or  two  salt 
herrings."  Subsequently  the  last  articles  were  cut 
off  as  being  too  good  fare.  Had  they  been  allowed 
a  sufficient  portion  either  of  rice  or  roots,  it  would 
have  been  tolerable  ;  but  all  seemed  calculated  down 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  165 

SO  as  merely  to  prevent  their  starving  to  death." 
"  One  da}^"  sajs  another  letter,  "  the  guards  brought 
some  jDieces  of  badly-baked  bread,  hard  and  old  ;  we 
ate  it  as  a  delicious  cake,  so  famished  were  we." 
They  were  starved  to  such  a  point  that  Gonroc  grew 
alarmed.  Fearing  that  they  would  die,  he  sent  one 
Gasuemon,  an  inspector,  to  examine  the  circum- 
stances and  take  suitable  measures.  The  inspector 
agreed  for  some  relief  with  the  contractor  for  food, 
but  that  avaricious  pagan  found  means  to  elude  the 
agreement.'  Sometimes  Christians  from  Nagasaki 
succeeded  in  getting  better  food  through  to  the 
martyrs  ;  but  this  subjected  the  guards  to  great  risks, 
and  of  their  own  accord  the  prisoners  declined  these 
marks  of  friendship. 

More  remains  to  be  said  of  these  various  torments, 
nor  have  I  said  anything  of  that  which  all  accounts 
characterize  as  must  insupportable — the  stench. 
"  This  torment,"  wrote  Spinola,  "  makes  me  raise  my 
sighs  to  heaven."  And  no  wonder.  There  were  thirty 
men  crowded  on  one  another,  bathed  in  sweat  or 
soaked  with  rain,  with  garments  rotting  on  their 
bodies  ;  and,  to  complete  their  misery,  forced  to  sat- 
isfy the  wants  of  nature  in  that  very  place.  The  prison 
soon  resembled  a  sewer,  and,  at  times,  for  example 
after  a  heavy  rain,  the  infection  became  horrible — ifc 
stifled  the  strongest.  Corruption  and  filth  brought 
on  another   scourge — vermin.     The  holy  confessors 

2  Defraud avit  etiam  portione  victus,  quam  admetiri  jubebatur. 
Letter  to  Father  Ruiz.  The  contractor  was  bound  to  furnish  each 
prisoner  about  ten  cents  worth  a  day. 


166  LIFE    OF   THE 

were  devoured  by  them ;  and  tliey  liad  not  a  vessel 
of  any  kind,  even  one  of  those  that  our  habits  of 
cleanhness  make  indispensable.  But  enough ;  it  is 
more  than  we  could  credit,  were  not  these  details 
drawn  from  letters  dated  in  the  fearful  dungeon  of 
Omura. 

In  face  of  these  incontestible  facts  the  reader  may 
ask  how  the  victims  of  such  barbarity  could  have  pro- 
longed their  life  for  weeks,  and  some  for  several 
years  ;  vigor  and  courage  seem  to  afford  no  satisfac- 
tory explanation.  We  must  see  in  it  the  finger  of 
God.  In  some  cases,  in  particular,  God's  interven- 
tion is  beyond  doubt ;  and  we  have  an  example  in 
Father  Spinola.  "  Two  months'  fever,"  he  wrote  to 
the  General  of  the  Society,  "  had  reduced  me  to  ex- 
tremity ;  all  expected  to  see  me  breathe  my  last,  and 
I  was  ravished  with  joy,  when,  on  the  4fch  of  Novem- 
ber, by  the  intercession  of  St.  Charles  (his  patron), 
without  any  medical  aid,  I  recovered  my  health."  The 
Almighty  doubtless  reserved  this  noble  victim ;  he 
had  set  him  aside  to  be  offered  to  him  on  the  solemn 
day  before  the  eyes  of  thousands  of  spectators.  Hith- 
erto he  had  merely  purified  him  by  constant  illness. 
If  God's  action  is  less  miraculous  towards  other  pris- 
oners, we  must  at  least  acknowledge  in  it  the  special 
Providence  that  ever  watched  over  the  elect.  Two 
sank  under  the  barbarous  treatment :  Blessed  John 
of  St.  Dominic,  of  the  order  of  Friars  Preachers,  and 
our  saint's  companion,  Brother  Ambrose  Fernandez, 
who  perished  with  cold  after  thirteen  months'  impris^ 
onment.    Most  of  the  others  fell  into  more  or  less  se- 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  167 

vere  diseases,  and  tlius  aggravated  the  miseries  of 
themselves  and  their  fellow  prisoners.  This  circum- 
stance was  seldom  taken  into  account  by  their  jailers. 
They  refused  Spinola  a  glass  of  water  to  cool  his 
burning  fever,  and  the  night  that  Brother  Fernandez 
died  they  would  not  allow  his  companions  to  have  a 
light  to  pay  him  the  last  rites.  Tyrants  and  execu- 
tioners combined  to  torture  without  causing  death. 

III. — Behavior  of  the  Holy  Prisoner. 

It  is  consoling  to  contrast  the  heroism  of  charity 
with  the  ingenuities  displayed  in  inventing  torture. 
This  we  have  already  discerned ;  we  could  not  de- 
scribe the  atrocities  of  the  persecutor,  without  por- 
trajdng  the  noble  deportment  of  his  victims  ;  but  it  is 
our  present  purpose  to  study  more  closely  the  senti- 
ments with  which  they  were  animated.  Though , 
speaking  only  of  Blessed  Father  Spinola,  we  shall  do 
homage  to  the  virtues  of  his  companions  ;  for,  not- 
withstanding a  certain  susceptibility,  which,  though  it 
grieved,  did  not  discourage,  he  exerted  over  them  an 
indisputable  influence — he  inspired  them  with  his  own 
energy,  and  stimulated  their  courage ;  in  a  word, 
he  was  the  worthy  leader  of  that  heroic  band.  We 
know  not  what  he  had  to  suffer,  and  yet,  in  no  one  of 
the  many  letters  which  he  wrote  during  his  imprison- 
ment, does  he  fail  to  manifest  his  complete  resigna- 
tion to  the  will  of  God ;  nay,  the  joy  iie  felt  in  under- 
going the  most  fearful  trials,  and  his  eager  desire  to 
see  his  sufferings  increased.     After  all  such  expres- 


168  LIFE   OP   THE 

sions,  the  tlionglit  of  martyrdom  regularly  occurs,  but 
accompanied  with  sentiments  of  his  own  unworthi- 
ness,  and  his  acceptance  of  whatever  God  should  send 
him. 

These  dispositions  are  of  great  importance  in  the 
ways  of  God ;  and  the  holy  man  speaks  on  the  point 
with  a  great  animation.  His  ordinary  correspond- 
ent, Father  Porro,  having  written  that  he  would  have 
been  glad  to  be  his  companion  in  prison,  he  answers : 
"  You  are  mistaken ;  you  have  too  high  an  opinion  of 
me.  I  am  only  a  wretched  sinner.  It  is  not  for  want 
of  graces;  God  gives  me  a  great  abundance  of  them  ; 
but  it  is  because  I  do  not  profit  by  them  as  I  should, 
and  because  I  misuse  the  time  which  He  gives  me  to 
prepare  for  death.  I  know  nothing  good  in  me  ex- 
cept a  great  desire  of  suffering  for  God's  sake,  and  an 
entire  conformity  to  His  will.  True,  I  would  wish  to 
,die  a  martyr ;  but  I  am  ready  to  be  driven  from  Japan 
or  to  languish  a  hundred  years  in  this  dungeon.  My 
chief  anxiety  is  to  see  the  long  duration  of  a  life  in 
which  I  offend  God.  I  long  for  death  that  I  may  cease 
to  sin  ;  and  I  hope,  through  }- our  praj^ers  and  those 
of  our  other  fathers,  to  die  at  the  stake  or  on  the 
cross." 

In  another  letter  to  the  same  Father,  after  having 
spoken  of  the  wretched  state  of  his  health,  he  adds  : 
"  In  a  word,  I  feel  that  I  am  becoming  exhausted, 
and  that  my  end  is  drawing  nigh.  I  am  willing  to 
die,  and,  in  all  my  life,  I  never  experienced  more  joy. 
Be  kind  enough  to  recommend  me  to  God,  and  par- 
don my  faults." 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  169 

His  actions  corresponded  with  these  words.  On 
all  occasions,  whilst  suffering  the  most  cruel  mortifi- 
cations, he  possessed  his  soul  in  unalterable  patience. 
This  sentiment  generally  displayed  itself  in  a  sweet 
serenity  and  admirable  gaiety.  In  a  letter  to  Father 
de  Ursis,  at  Macao,  dated  December  5th,  1619,  he 
says  :  "  I  am  now  terminating  my  first  year's  novice- 
ship  in  Omura  ;  and  in  the  hope  of  attaining  the  pro- 
fession which  God  promises  in  heaven,  I  am  ready  to 
accept  many  otlier  years  of  probation.  After  all, 
what  I  have  suffered  is  but  little ;  I  desire  to  suffer 
much  more." 

Virtue  so  exalted  becomes  contagious  ;  it  possesses 
a  heavenly  charm  that  attracts  and  wins  hearts. 
Four  Japanese  prisoners  experienced  these  happy 
effects.  Being  filled  with  respect  and  admiration  at 
the  sight  of  such  heroism,  they  asked,  as  a  great 
favor,  to  be  admitted  into  the  Society  of  Jesus. 
Their  example  was  followed  some  time  after  by 
three  others.  They  made  their  noviceship  in  prison 
under  the  direction  of  Father  Spinola,  and  followed 
their  master  to  martydom,  where  we  shall  again  find 
them.  Even  the  infidels  themselves  yielded  at  times 
to  this  influence ;  and  several  of  the  guards  who  had 
come  with  hostile  dispositions,  went  away  Christians. 
It  happened  one  day,  however,  that  the  example  and 
even  the  exhortations  of  the  Saint  encountered  obsti- 
nate resistance  ;  and,  sad  to  say,  this  resistance  came 
from  two  Christians,  and  what  is  even  more,  from 
two  religious  (not  priests,  however,)  who  were  impris- 
15 


170  LIFE    OF    THE 

oned  for  tlie  faith  of  Christ !     The  fact  is  very  re- 
markable. 

They  were  two  Japanese  of  that  proud  and  gener- 
ous character  which  is  distinctive  of  their  nation, 
sincerely  attached  to  their  religion,  but  mingling 
with  their  devotedness  a  certain  amount  of  self- 
sufficiency  and  pride  ;  on  the  least  difference  of 
opinion,  they  offended  their  companions  in  captivity, 
and  took  offence  on  the  slightest  occasion.  This  dis- 
position manifested  itself  on  a  certain  occasion, 
when  they  became  irritated  and  obstinate.  Father 
Spinola  had,  properly  speaking,  no  authority  except- 
ing over  the  members  of  his  own  Order :  he  had 
thought  it  prudent  therefore,  up  to  this,  to  show  his 
disapprobation  by  his  silence  ;  but,  all  at  once,  stand- 
ing up  like  one  inspired,  he  addressed  to  these  two 
refractory  individuals  an  energetic  exhortation  on 
concord  and  humility.  He  reminded  them,  in  a 
touching  manner,  of  the  proofs  they  had  already 
given  of  their  love  for  God ;  he  tenderly  urged  them 
to  conform  their  conduct  to  that  of  their  divine 
Model  who  was  meek  and  humble  of  heart.  All  his 
efforts  were  ineffectual.  Then  the  minister  of  Jesus 
Christ,  listening  only  to  his  zeal  for  the  glory  of  his 
Master,  threatened  them  with  the  wrath  of  God  and 
exemplary  chastisement.  They  were  not  punished 
immediately  :  they  persevered  with  the  other  confes- 
sors up  to  the  very  day  of  execution.  When  leavmg 
the  prison,  the  holy  man  declared,  with  tears  in  his 
eyes,  tliot,  as  formerly  at  Sehaste,  all  could  not  receive 
the  crown  from  the  hands  of  angels.     I  greatly  fear,  said 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  171 

he  frequently,  lest  some  among  us  dim  tlie  splendor  of 
this  great  day  by  a  shameful  fall.  His  prediction, 
alas  !  was  but  too  truly  accomplished. 

Return  we  now  to  the  faithful  and  fervent  band 
preparing  for  the  final  combat.  On  such  occasions, 
even  the  strongest  man  is  no  more  than  a  weak  reed, 
and  the  most  Kvely  fervor  a  fire  that  must  soon  die 
out  unless  it  receive  fuel  from  without.  If  such  is 
the  condition  of  Christian  virtue  in  general,  what 
care,  what  assistance  must  be  required  to  keep  alive 
in  souls  heroic  devotedness  and  untiring  patience ! 
God  granted  that  assistance  to  his  persecuted  ser- 
vants ;  that  care  his  servants  took,  and  all  that  we 
have  admired  in  them,  finds  an  easy  explanation  in 
their  co-operation  with  the  grace  of  God.  Gratia 
Dei  mecum. 

There  is  one  grace  on  which,  indeed,  they  could 
not  have  reckoned — the  very  fountain  of  all  graces — 
the  most  Holy  Eucharist.  Still,  except  during  the 
first  months  of  captivity,  they  had  the  consolation  of 
saying  or  hearing  Mass  every  day ;  and  never  was 
anything  essential  for  the  Holy  Sacrifice  v»^anting, 
whether  it  was  hosts,  or  v/ine,  or  candles.  These 
things  were  furnished  them  by  the  Christians  of  Na- 
gasaki ;  being  secretly  introduced,  some  time,  by  the 
assistance  of  the  guards  who  had  been  converted,  at 
other  times  through  the  connivance  of  the  pagans. 
"With  what  solicitude  they  watched  over  everything 
connected  with  the  divine  mysteries !  With  what 
happiness  they  participated  in  them  !  Father  Spi- 
nola  celebrated  Mass  every  day  that  his  health  al- 


172  LIFE   OF  THE 

lowed  it ;  and  in  liis  eyes,  the  presence  of  Jesus  changed 
their  horrible  dungeon  into  a  paradise,  as  he  wrote  to 
Father  Sebastian  Yieira,  on  the  20th  of  February, 
1620.  In  a  letter  to  the  Eev.  Father  General,  he 
develops  his  thought  more  at  length :  "  The  divine 
Sacrifice  constitutes  our  sole  consolation ;  and  by  a 
signal  favor  of  divine  Providence,  we  have  all  that  is 
required  for  the  service  of  the  altar.  The  Bread  of 
Life  sustains  both  body  and  soul ;  the  heavenly  wine 
raises  us  above  all  our  troubles,  and  makes  us  de- 
sirous of  sacrificing  our  lives  a  thousand  times  for 
Him  who,  with  so  great  love,  gave  Himself  up  for 
our  sake." 

With  the  daily  celebration  of  Mass,  their  prison 
life  assumed  another  aspect ;  their  day  had  an  object, 
a  plan  of  life  was  outlined  ;  to  avoid  tedium  and  the 
dangers  occasioned  by  idleness,  all  that  was  now  re- 
quired was  to  regulate  in  like  manner  their  other  oc- 
cupations. Father  Spinola  had  no  difiiculty  in  caus- 
ing his  views  on  this  important  head  to  be  adopted, 
and  it  is  through  one  of  his  letters  to  the  Eev. 
Father  General,  that  we  have  been  made  acquainted 
with  these  particulars.  One  would  be  inclined  to  be- 
lieve that  he  was  reading  the  regulations  of  a  convent. 

First  of  all,  a  superior  was  elected  each  week,  to 
maintain  order.  The  day  was  begun  with  medita- 
tion during  one  hour,  then  the  priests  said  Mass. 
After  the  Masses,  the  little  Hours  of  the  Canonical 
Office  were  recited,  and  then  the  Rosary.  The  read- 
ing of  some  good  book  followed  till  dinner.  After 
this  meal,  they  conversed  on  some  edifying  subject. 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  J  73 

This  was  followed  by  Vespers,  and  still  other  prayers 
and  pious  readings.  Before  supper  they  said  Matins 
for  the  next  day  and  the  little  Office  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin.  On  holidays  the  Litany  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin and  the  hymn  Ave  Maria  Stella  were  added.  In 
the  evening  they  gave  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to  exam- 
ination of  conscience,  which  was  followed,  except  on 
festivals,  by  a  severe  discipline.^ 

Some  of  our  readers  will  wonder  at  this  last  exer- 
cise ;  did  they  not  suffer  enough  otherwise  without 
self-inflicted  penances  ?  Yet  such  is  the  last  effect  of 
the  love  of  God  in  souls  :  an  unquenchable  desire  to 
resemble  Jesus  crucified.  The  more  they  suffer  the 
more  they  wish  to  suffer.  ^'3Iore,  0  Lord,  still  mover 
exclaimed  the  first  apostle  of  Japan  ;  and  his  worthy 
imitator.  Blessed  Father  Spinola,  was  not  satisfied 
with  the  tortures  he  endured  in  j)rison,  nor  with  ordi- 
nary penances  laid  down  in  the  regulations.  He  al- 
most continually  wore  a  hair  shirt ;  and  even,  on  the 
small  amount  of  food  allowed  the  prisoners,  he  found 
means  of  mortifying  himself.  "My  meals" — thus  he 
writes  to  Father  Pereira,  then  procurator  of  the  prov- 
ince of  Japan — "  consist  of  two  plates  of  rice  each 
day,  one  in  the  morning  and  one  in  the  evening." 
Often  even  he  took  nothing  at  all  in  the  evening.  If 
it  happened  that,  during  his  illnesses,  the  Procurator, 

or  any  one  else,  sent  him  some  little  delicacy,  he  di- 

^  "  Flagellationem  in  dies  nisi  festi  sunt  adliibemus." — Letter  to 
Very  Rev.  F.  Mutius  Vitellesclii,  Feb.  18,  1620.  In  another  letter 
he  says :  "  Peracta  cum  parcissimo  cibo  quadragesima,  adhibitaque 
in  dies  singulos  bene  longa  corporum  flagellatione." 


174  LIFE   OF   THE 

Tided  it  all  among  his  companions  ;  and  if,  owing  to 
tlie  vigilance  of  tlie  guards,  nothing  of  this  kind 
reached  him,  he  experienced  genuine  satisfaction. 
We  read  the  following  in  one  of  his  letters  to  Father 
Porro  : 

*Tor  some  days  past  we  receive  no  more  delicacies ; 
we  are  once  more  brought  back  to  boiled  rice.  With 
our  former  diet,  we  have  recovered  all  our  gayetj. 
In  fact,  so  many  presents  have  been  thus  far  sent  us, 
that  we  no  longer  resembled  men  imprisoned  for 
Christ's  sake,  and  I  was  afflicted.  Praised  be  God, 
that  he  deigns  to  try  us !  I  shall  do  my  best  till  the 
hour  comes  fixed  for  me  in  His  eternal  decrees." 

With  respect  to  this  eagerly  desired  hour.  Father 
Spinola  collected  with  the  liveliest  interest  all  rumors 
from  abroad.  If  exile  were  spoken  of,  he  was  visibly 
grieved,  and  begged  his  friends  to  obtain  for  him  the 
pardon  of  his  sins,  which,  said  he,  rendered  him  un- 
worthy of  martyrdom.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the 
cross  or  the  stake  were  spoken  of,  he  could  no  longer 
repress  his  joy  ;  he  said  mass  for  those  who  brought 
the  welcome  tidings.  His  letters  about  this  time  are 
full  of  this  lofty  sentiment,  and  his  language  possesses 
all  the  unction  of  sanctity.  This  it  is  that  induces 
me  to  quote  certain  passages  : 

"At  last,'  writes  he  to  a  Father  in  Japan,  "my  hour 
is  come  ;  I  clearly  know  the  will  of  God  in  my  regard ; 
I  shall  leave  this  prison — such  is  my  firm  belief — 
only  to  go  to  heaven.  This  fills  me  with  consolation. 
O  Father,  how  liberally  God  has  rewarded  my  labors 
by  the  single  grace  he  has  granted  me  of  being  im- 


BLESSED    CHARLES    SPINOLA.  175 

prisoned  for  His  love  !  How  sweet,  how  delicious  it 
is.  to  suffer  for  Jesus  Christ !  I  never  experienced 
this  so  vividly  as  since  I  am  in  this  prison." 

As  early  as  the  18th  of  February,  1620,  more  than 
two  years  before  his  martyrdom.  Blessed  Spinola  thus 
wrote  to  the  very  Rev.  Father  Mutius  Yitelleschi,  the 
General  of  the  Society  : 

"  We  are  subjected  to  the  same  harsh  treatment, 
and  we  endeavor  to  support  the  tedium  of  the  days 
and  nights  by  exercises  of  piety.  {Here  follow  certain 
details  already  mentioned).  .  .  .  When  the  news  was 
brought  to  us  latel}-,  from  Nagasaki,  that  we  were  to 
be  burnt  alive,  as  those  had  been  who  gave  us  hos- 
pitality, all  the  prisoners  felt  their  joy  and  fervor  re- 
doubled. Who  can  tell  what  will  be  consequences  of 
the  death  of  the  prince  of  Omura,  who  has  just  been 
cut  off  suddenly  ?  His  successor  may  cut  our  heads 
off  to  be  rid  of  us.  At  th6  present  time  when  I  write 
to  you,  very  reverend  Father,  the  persecution  rages 
against  the  Christians  of  Nagasaki,  and  I  am  persua- 
ded that  we  shall  feel  its  effects.  In  any  case,  my 
strength  is  so  exhausted,  that  in  all  probability  I 
shall  be  unable  to  write  to  you  again.  Farewell,  then, 
very  reverend  Father,  till  we  meet  in  heaven!  I  beg 
you,  in  all  humilit}^,  not  to  forget,  at  the  altar,  this 
poor  prisoner  for  Christ's  sake,  and  to  recommend 
him  to  all  our  Fathers  and  brothers.  I  in  turn  pray 
every  day  at  the  holy  sacrifice  for  them  all,  and  par- 
ticularly for  your  paternity." 

Under  such  circumstances,  he  could  not  forget  his 
faithful  correspondent.  Father  Porro.     He  gives  that 


176  LIFE   OF    THE 

Father  the  tidings  of  his  approaching  death  in  the 
following  terms  : 

"  For  some  days  past  the  rumor  is  that  we  shall  be 
burned  alive  in  the  course  of  this  year.  By  the  time 
you  receive  this  letter,  I  shall,  perhaps,  have  quitted 
this  exile ;  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  long  to  end  it 
at  once,  that  I  may  cease  offending  Him,  to  whom  I 
owe  so  much.  Farewell,  dear  Father  !  we  shall  see 
each  other  again  on  the  Holy  Mountain,  in  the  bosom 
of  God !" 

One  year  before  his  death,  he  thus  writes  to  the 
same  Father : 

"  We  have  it  from  good  authority  that  Gonroc  said 
in  August,  that  w^e  were  to  be  burnt  alive  in  the 
course  of  the  month  of  September.  You  can  easily 
conceive,  Rev.  Father,  that  this  news  has  transported 
us  with  joy  !  Nevertheless,  since  then,  we  have  re- 
ceived other  intelligence  that  raises  some  doubt. 
What  is  beyond  doubt  is,  that  while  awaiting  the  fire 
of  the  persecutors,  it  has  pleased  God  to  send  three 
of  us  the  fire  of  fever,  and  I  have  had  my  share.  But 
at  the  same  time  I  have  received  such  intense  spirit- 
ual consolation,  that  my  pains  were  lulled  in  my  col- 
loquies with  the  Divine  Majesty." 

About  the  same  time  he  thus  opened  his  heart  to 
Father  Baeza,'  rector  of  the  college  of  Nagasaki : 

"  The  good  news  you  gave  me,  is  a  subject  of  un- 

^  This  Father  remained  concealed  at  Nagasaki,  with  Father  de 
Couros,  the  provincial,  and  nine  of  the  Jesuits,  till  1G20.  Then  the 
two  former,  constantly  pursued,  left  the  city,  at  noon,  in  an  open 
palanquin,  without  being  recognized  or  even  suspected  by  any  one. 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  177 

speakable  joy,  but  I  have  still  more  positive  informa- 
tion by  a  more  trnstwortliy  man,  who  says  he  heard 
it  from  Gonroc  himself,  that  we  are  all  to  be  burned 
alive  next  October.  God  grant  it  be  so.  O  my  dear 
Father,  to  be  bound  to  a  stake  and  burned  for  the 
love  of  Christ — what  happiness,  and  this  haj^piness 
to  be  mine!  Too  well  I  know  myself  unworthy  of 
such  a  favor ;  but  I  know,  too,  that  God's  mercy  is 
infinite.  If  what  I  state  is  not  a  false  rumor,  I  em- 
brace you  with  all  my  heart,  in  token  of  farewell,  till 
we  see  each  other  again  in  heaven." 

I  cannot  better  conclude  this  sketch  of  the  heroic 
dispositions  of  our  Saint  than  by  the  beautiful  letter 
which  he  wrote  to  his  cousin,  Maximilian  Spinola. 
It  is  a  summary  of  his  whole  prison  life  : 

"  These  past  years  I  have  written  several  letters  to 
our  uncles-;  having  received  no  reply  I  have  thought 
that  it  would  be  sufficient  henceforward  to  send  my 
relatives  tidings  of  me  through  the  Provincial  at 
Milan,  or  the  rector  of  the  college  at  Genoa.  But 
Father  Peter  Morigione  who  has  gone  hence  to  Eome, 
and  Father  Nicholas  Spinola  having  informed  me 
that  you  are  now,  by  the  decease  of  Count  Augustine, 
Count  of  Tassarolo,  and  that  no  other  survives  ex- 
cept Ferdinand,  whose  letter  reached  here  last  year, 
I  can  not  refrain  from  acquainting  you  fuUy  with 
the  singular  favor  bestowed  on  me  by  God,  of  which, 
perhaps,  some  rumor  has  already  reached  you,  name- 
ly, that  I  am  in  prison  for  preaching  the  faith. 

"  I  was  carried  off  at  midnight  ushering  in  the  14th 


178  LIFE   OF  THE 

of  December,  1618.  Till  the  latter  part  of  July, 
1619,  I  was  confined  witli  my  companions  in  a 
thatched  cottage,  not  extremely  inconvenient,  sur- 
rounded by  palisades  and  guards  ;  then  they  drove  us 
into  this  more  confined  prison,  twenty -four  palms 
long  by  sixteen  wide,  just  recently  built,  like  a  bird- 
cage, of  thick  square  posts,  open  to  the  wind  and 
rain,  but  safe  under  God's  protection. 

"Eight  religious  are  now  detained  here :  four  of  the 
order  of  St.  Dominic,  one,  Father  Angelo  Orsucci,  a 
native  of  Lucca  ;  three  of  the  order  of  Friars  Mi- 
nor ;  I  am  the  only  one  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,^  since 
the  death  of  Brother  Ambrose  Fernandez,  a  Portu- 
guese, who  was  captured  with  me  and  perished  of 
cold  and  misery  on  the  7th  of  January  last  year. 
There  are,  besides,  fifteen  Japanese  catechists  or 
domestics. 

"  I  have  suffered  much  from  the  cramped  space 
and  want  of  food.  Twice  have  1  been  seriously  ill, 
and  I  often  thought  I  should  die  of  exhaustion,  but 
God  has  preserved  my  life  to  enable  me  to  suffer 
more  for  his  service.  At  first  it  was  said  that  we 
were  to  be  banished  to  China  or  the  Philippines ; 
but  since  this  new  prison  was  erected,  our  persecu- 
tors say  that  we  are  to  be  killed  by  the  effects  of 
long  imprisonment ;  that  they  did  not  wish  to  put  us 

1  Soon  after  tliis  letter  was  written  (Feb.  28,  1621)  tlie  niimber  of 
Jesuits  was  increased  by  the  arilval  of  Father  Kimura,  a  Japanese, 
and  by  the  admission  of  the  four  novices  mentioned  already,  as  well 
as  by  the  arrival  of  eight  religious,  three  of  whom  belonged  to  his 
Society. 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  179 

to  death,  as  they  saw  us  eagerlj^  desh^e  to  witness  our 
faith  in  our  blood.  Nor  do  they  see  that  they  thus 
torture  us  by  a  longer  though  more  illustrious  death. 
Who  knows  but  that  the  emperor  seeing  that,  in- 
stead of  wasting  away,  we  are  alive  and  happy,  and 
that  this  prison  of  ours  inflames  all  Japan,  as  with 
a  thousand  sermons,  will  order  us  to  execution  ? 

"Meanwhile,  by  night  and  day,  we  confirm  our 
souls  by  exercises  of  piety,  we  chastise  our  bodies  by 
scourging,  haircloths,  and  other  like  mortifications  ; 
and  what  constitutes  our  greatest  consolation,  we 
minister  at  the  altar  daily.  And  it  has  surely  been 
by  a  special  providence  of  God,  that  vestments  and 
other  requisites  for  the  holy  sacrifices  were  intro- 
duced unseen  by  the  guards,  after  we  had  been  at 
first  for  several  months  deprived  of  them  and  unable 
to  refresh  ourselves  with  the  heavenly  bread  of 
angels. 

"  For  my  own  part  I  am  overjoyed  at  this  special 
benefit  of  God,  accomplishing  the  desire  which 
chiefly  brought  me  hither,  and  I  esteem  it  above  the 
splendor  of  all  fleeting  dignities.  And  justly,  for  St. 
Paul,  after  being  once  imprisoned  triumphed  more 
in  the  glory  of  his  chains  and  bonds,  than  in  his  very 
apostleship,  calling  himself  *  Bound  in  the  Lord.' 
I  blush  for  shame  when  I  think  how  by  no  merit  of 
mine  I  have  obtained  this  great  grace ;  how  God,  hav- 
ing before  him  so  many  holy  persons,  who  have  cul- 
tivated this  vineyard  with  such  admirable  zeal,  has 
cast  his  eyes  on  me,  the  last  of  all  in  the  gifts  of  na- 
ture and  merit.     Again,  however,   the  words  of  St. 


180  LIFE    OF   THE 

Paul  console  me  :  "  Not  of  tlie  wilier,  nor  of  the  run- 
ner, but  of  God  that  showeth  mercy."  Rom.  ix.  16. 

"  And,  indeed,  we  frequently,  see  this  grace  denied 
by  the  divine  Majesty  to  men  renowned  for  exalted 
sanctity,  who  sought  it  with  earnest  prayers,  and 
granted  to  men  steeped  in  sin,  to  show  that  it  was  to 
be  obtained  only  by  divine  favor  and  not  granted  to 
our  good  works. 

"  I  have  been  desirous  of  writing  this  to  you,  and 
through  you  to  the  rest  of  my  kindred,  that  you  may 
rejoice  to  have  a  kinsman  captive  for  Christ  and 
doomed  to  death.  The  cause  of  my  imprisonment  is 
my  unwillingness  to  leave  Japan,  when  the  king  or- 
dered all  religious  to  depart,  my  superiors  having 
consented  to  my  remaining,  that  I  might  watch  over 
the  Christians,  gain  new  converts,  by  the  help  of 
other  Fathers  of  our  own  and  other  orders.  Let 
them  thank  God  for  this,  and  have  masses  said  for 
me,  and  obtain  from  me  the  glory  of  this  distinction, 
that  I  go  not  forth  alive  from  this  dungeon,  unless  to 
the  cross  or  the  stake.  Let  them  justly  esteem  this 
glory  more  than  any  rank,  dignity  or  fortune  they 
enjoy,  as  these,  unless  adorned  by  an  upright  life  and 
the  observance  of  God's  law,  or  freely  bestowed  in 
charity  on  the  poor  or  religious,  are  obstacles  to  eter- 
nal salvation.  Let  them  think  of  the  instability  of 
this  life  and  the  certainty  of  death,  which  strips  them 
unawares  of  all  this  world's  goods,  leaving  them 
nothing  but  their  virtues  to  bear  with  them.  Let  them 
understand  fully  the  value  of  toil  and  suffering  en- 
dured  for   God.      By   this   thought   and   the  divine 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  181 

grace,  many  with  unshaken  magnanimity  have  de- 
spised rank,  wealth,  dignities,  Hberty  and  kingdoms, 
even  the  empire  itself,  to  retire  to  the  desert  or  to 
cloisters,  to  pass  their  lives  in  the  exercises  of  pen- 
ance, meditating  on  the  life  and  death  of  our  Saviour, 
conforming  their  lives  to  his  perpetual  humility  and 
want ! 

"  O  my  kinsmen !  could  you  but  taste  the  delights 
which  the  most  benignant  Jesus  imparts  to  those 
who  serve  him  or  endure  sufferings  for  his  sake,  you 
would  see  clearly  how  hollow  are  the  pleasures  which 
this  world  promises  but  cannot  give  ;  as  they  cannot 
satisfy  the  vastness  of  that  soul  created  for  God 
alone. 

"  I,  who  can  aver  that  I  now  begin  to  be  a  dis- 
ciple of  Christ  amid  the  greatest  pain  and  confine- 
ment of  prison,  even  when  my  strength  seemed 
failing  from  hunger  alone,  I  was  always  refreshed  by 
such  delights  of  consolation,  that  I  deemed  all  my 
sufi'erings  undergone  in  the  divine  service  richly  re- 
warded. Were  I  still  to  pass  several  years  in  this 
dungeon,  the  time  would  seem  to  me  short  in  my  in- 
tense desire  of  suffering  for  His  love,  who  so  lavishly 
rewards  the  labors  of  this  life  and  makes  even  tor- 
ture itself  sweet  and  desirable.  Yet  God  is  to  be 
served  chiefly  for  himself  alone,  for  He  is  the  fountain 
of  all  goodness,  and  merits  all  our  devotion  without 
any  hope  of  reward. 

"  Among  the  various  diseases  by  which  my  health 
has  been  tried  in  prison,  a  continual  and  dangerous 
fever  seized   and   afflicted  me  for  a  hundred  days. 


182  LIFE   OF   THE 

Destitute  of  all  Imman  remedies,  with  no  food  suited 
to  a  sick  person,  I  despaired  of  my  recovery,  as  did 
all  my  companions.  Then  my  heart  was  too  full  of 
joy,  for  such  joy  I  never  remember  to  have  felt,  so 
that  I  bounded  in  exultation  and  seemed  at  the  very 
threshold  of  heaven.  If  God  thus  consoles  the  suf- 
ferings of  his  servants  here  on  earth,  what  must  be 
the  delights  which  he  has  prepared  in  heaven,  the 
real  place  of  reward  ? 

"  Let  us  then  serve  so  good,  so  clement  a  God,  nor 
deem  it  difficult  to  moderate  the  fierce  impulses  of 
passion  or  chastise  our  body,  in  the  assurance  that  if 
we  suffer  here  with  Christ  we  shall  reign  with  him 
eternally  in  heaven,  which  no  man  reaches  but  by 
suffering. 

"  I  commend  me  especially  to  Ferdinand  and  Alex- 
ander Spinola,  and  the  daughters  of  the  late  Fa- 
bricius  Spinola  and  my  other  kinsfolk.  I  bid  a  last 
farewell  to  them  and  my  native  land,  for  I  feel  so  en- 
feebled that  I  doubt  whether  I  shall  survive  to  the 
next  occasion  of  writing.  I  remember  you  all  daily 
at  the  altar ;  nor  shall  I  forget  you  if  God  finds  me 
worthy  to  enter  his  heavenly  Jerusalem.  Farewell, 
farewell,  till  w^e  meet  again  in  heaven. 

"  From  my  prison  at  Omura,  February  28th,  1621. 

"  Chaeles, 
"  Imprisoned  for  the  Faith  of  Christ." 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  183 


IV. — PvEMOVAL  TO   FlEANDO. 

We  have  followed  Blessed  Spinola  through  that 
long  series  of  fearful  trials  down  to  the  moment  when 
everything  foretokened  a  bloody  close.  Before  de- 
scribing the  last  act  of  the  heroic  drama,  we  must 
retrace  events  somewhat. 

In  consequence  of  the  dissensions  between  the 
Portuguese  and  the  Dutch,  piracy  spread  in  the  East, 
aud  scourged  especially  the  Japan  seas.  In  1621, 
some  English  and  Dutch  pirates  seized  a  Japanese 
vessel  off  the  island  of  Formosa,  while  on  its  way 
from  the  Philippines  to  Nagasaki.  Among  the  pas- 
sengers were  two  Spaniards  whose  exterior  had  noth- 
ing uncommon,  but  whom  the  pirates  from  some 
mark,  or  from  conjecture,  took  to  be  religious  in  dis- 
guise. This  was  precisely  what  they  needed  to  cover 
the  illegality  of  their  conduct.  They  entered  the 
port  of  Eirando,  and  handed  over  to  the  authorities 
the  two  Spaniards  together  with  Joachim  Firaiama, 
the  captain  of  the  captured  vessel.  They  pretended 
that  they  seized  the  vessel,  not  for  plunder,  but  out 
of  respect  for  the  emperor's  edicts,  which  those  reli- 
gious had  ventured  to  infringe.  Had  the  governor 
of  Nagasaki  consulted  only  his  hatred  against  the 
Christians,  he  would  not  have  failed  to  welcome  these 
chargQS,  but  the  question  had  another  aspect  to  him. 
The  vessel,  when  taken,  was  steering  to  the  port  con- 
fided to  him ;  if  proved  that  the  two  passengers 
were  religious,  he  might  be  accused  himself  of  conni- 


184:  LIFE   OF   THE 

vance,  or  at  least  of  negligence  in  discharging  his 
duty.  Several  missionaries  had  already  slipped  in 
by  stealth ;  all  these  clandestine  movements  might 
be  laid  to  his  charge,  and  then  what  could  he  expect 
from  the  emperor?  He  accordingly  declared  that 
the  two  passengers  were  not  religious ;  and  he  boldly 
wrote  to  that  purport  to  the  emperor.  The  Dutch, 
however,  to  clear  themselves  of  piracy,  maintained 
the  contrary,  and  affecting  great  friendship  for  the 
Japanese,  constantly  affirmed  that  the  two  men  were 
Spaniards,  religious  and  priests,  who,  under  the  pre- 
text of  extending  their  religion,  came  to  inspect  the 
country.  This  old  calumny  always  produced  a  great 
impression. 

The  two  religious — for  such  they  really  were — had. 
from  the  first,  avowed  that  they  were  Christians,  but 
no  more.  They  desired  with  all  their  heart  to  declare 
themselves  also  priests  and  religious,  to  receive  the 
palm  of  martyrdoms,  but  did  charity  permit  them  ? 
Their  avowal  would  expose  the  captain,  who  had  re- 
ceived them  aboard,  to  capital  punishment ;  the  rigor 
of  the  edicts  on  this  point  left  no  doubt.  They  must 
then  find  means  of  making  themselves  known,  with- 
out compromising  Captain  Joachim. 

"While  they  were  thus  consulting,  the  Dutch  and 
English  were  not  idle.  There  was,  they  averred,  very 
easy  means  of  ascertaining  the  truth ;  this  was  to 
bring  some  religious  from  the  Omura  prison  and 
confront  them  with  the  suspected  individuals.  This 
was  done,  and  we  possess  a  circumstantial  report 
from  Blessed  Charles  to  the  Provincial  of  Japan. 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  185 

One  evening  in  November,  after  supper  time,  they 
led  out  of  prison  Father  Francis  Morales,  a  Domin- 
ican, Father  Peter  de  Avila,  a  Franciscan,  and  Father 
Charles  Spinola.  At  the  barrack  they  were  told  that 
they  were  going  to  start  for  Firando,  about  ninety 
miles  distant.  They  respectfully  asked  for  clothes 
or  coverings  to  protect  them  from  the  cold,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  severity  of  the  season ;  they  were  not 
heard,  but  driven  aboard  almost  without  clothes. 
The  boat  was  small,  and  the  only  cabin  was  occupied 
by  the  two  officers  of  the  prince  who  commanded  the 
guards.  The  Fathers,  closely  confined,  had  a  small 
unsheltered  corner,  so  narrow  that  they  could  scarcely 
move.  The  first  night  was  spent  in  a  fort  overlooking 
the  sea.  The  next  night  they  reached  Firando.  The 
prisoners  were  placed  in  a  cabin,  near  the  governor's, 
under  double  guards. 

On  the  25th  of  November,  after  noon,  the  three 
Fathers  were  taken  to  the  castle  through  curious 
crowds  who  flocked  to  the  sight.  Their  aspect  was 
indeed  most  strange.  They  wore  the  long  habit  of 
their  profession,  but  worn  to  rags  ;  their  beard  and 
hair  long  and  neglected ;  attenuated,  pale,  unrecog- 
nizable, living  skeletons,  loaded  with  chains,  they  ex- 
cited the  compassion  of  the  most  indifferent.  The 
Christians  in  the  crowd  saluted  them  as  they  passed, 
showing  as  well  as  they  could  their  veneration  and 
sorrow.  In  the  plain  that  stretched  before  the  castle 
some  Portuguese  awaited  them,  and  one  of  them, 
Louis  de  Figueredo,  fell  at  their  feet  and  respectfully 
kissed  their  chains. 


186  LIFE   OF   THE 

On  entering  the  palace,  the  prisoners,  after  a  few 
moments  delay  in  the  vestibule,  were  led  into  the 
governor's  room.  With  him  were  the  prince  of  Fi- 
rando,  Gonroc,  governor  of  Nagasaki,  as  well  as  the 
two  renegades,  Feizo  and  Xacuemon.  Among  those 
present  were  some  Portuguese  and  the  English 
pirates.  The  three  religious  were  introduced  before 
them  all,  and  the  Blessed  Spinola  was  asked,  "  Do 
you  know  these  Spaniards  ?"  "  No,"  he  replied,  "  I 
have  not  been  out  of  Japan  for  twenty  years ;  1  never 
saw  them."  The  two  other  religious  made  similar 
replies. 

This  confronting  led  to  no  result.  Feizo  then  ad- 
dressed Blessed  Charles  this  captious  question :  "  Is 
a  religious  or  priest  permitted  to  deny  that  he  is 
such  ?"  The  apostate  knew  that  a  Christian  was 
bound  to  confess  himself  a  Christian  in  presence  of  a 
judge,  and  thinking  it  the  same  with  the  sacerdotal 
character,  he  wished  to  condemn  the  two  disguised 
religious  by  one  of  their  brethren ;  but  Blessed 
Charles  explained  the  difference,  and  replied  that,  in 
certain  cases,  the  priest  or  religious  was  not  obliged 
to  reveal  his  character.  Then  an  Englishman  boldly 
said  :  "  That  is  true ;  so  they  do  in  England ;  the 
priests  deny  it,  to  avoid  punishment."  "  You  are 
mistaken,"  replied  Blessed  Si3inola,  "  and  I  prove  it 
by  my  own  example.  I,  too,  was  taken  by  an  English 
pirate,  and  although  I  knew  your  animosity  against 
me,  and  the  cruelty  of  your  tortures,  I  declared  dis- 
tinctly that  I  was  a  priest  and  a  religious  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Jesus.     I  know,  too,  that  several  other  Jesu- 


BLESSED    CHAKLES    SPINOLA.  187 

its  have  done  the  same,  and  slied  their  blood  for  the 
faith.  You  know  yourself,  my  lord,  by  your  own  ex- 
perience," said  he,  turning  to  Gonroc,  "  how  we  act 
on  this  point,  and  this  testimony  is  better  than  that 
of  an  Englishman."  These  words  silenced  him  and 
closed  the  examination. 

Before  he  withdrew,  the  ardent  apostle  endeavored 
to  recall  the  w^retched  Feizo  to  the  way  of  salvation  ; 
he  approached  him  and  begged  him  to  grant  him  a 
short  interview.  The  apostate,  divining  his  inten- 
tion, declined,  alleging  the  frivolous  excuse  that  he 
had  no  time.  Our  Saint  could  then  only  remind  him 
briefly  of  his  former  protestations,  the  graces  he  had 
received,  and  the  chastisements  to  which  he  exposed 
himself,-  as  the  implacable  persecutor  of  those  whom 
he  had  loved  as  his  brethren.  The  apostate  could 
not  bear  these  apostolic  words  :  he  grew  pale,  and 
without  saying  a  word  he  withdrew  covered  with 
shame,  to  appear  no  more. 

Louis  Figueredo  did  not  neglect  the  confessors  of 
the  faith  :  he  asked  Gonroc  permission  to  receive 
them  at  his  table,  to  send  them  clothing  and  other 
necessary  articles  in  the  prison  of  Omura.  Gonroc 
himself  could  not  witness  such  miseries  united  to 
such  merit  without  a  sentiment  of  compassion,  and 
he  granted  the  request.  The  other  Portuguese,  hav- 
ing been  informed  of  this  condescension,  considered 
it  an  honor  to  contribute  largely  to  the  good  work, 
in  favor  of  the  thirty-two  captives  in  the  prison  of 
Omura.  But  their  charity  was  a  reproach  to  the 
apostate   Feizo  ;  he  counted   the   garments  offered. 


188  LIFE   OF  THE 

and  admitted  but  a  small  number  of  tliem.  Fig- 
ueredo  in  vain  supplicated  on  his  knees  ;  the  barba- 
rian was  inexorable.  A  terrible  example  of  the  hard- 
ness of  heart  to  which  he  falls  a  victim,  who  has  been 
guilty  of  perjury  to  his  God,  and  become  a  traitor  to 
Jesus  Christ ! 

The  principal  affair  remained  still  unsettled.  The 
judges,  having  no  certain  proof  against  the  two 
Spaniards,  wished,  as  it  was  said  at  the  palace,  to 
administer  the  oath  to  them.  But  the  prisoners  re- 
fused, protesting  against  the  illegahty  of  such  a  pro- 
ceeding. This  refusal  seeming  to  wound  the  deHcacy 
of  the  Christians,  Father  Spinola  became  the  inter- 
preter of  their  sentiments.  Having  obtained  per- 
mission to  speak  privately  to  the  two  religious,  he 
represented  to  them  that  common  edification  should 
outweigh  the  captain's  interest,  and  that  it  only  re- 
mained to  speak  the  truth.  This  was  all  they  desired. 
They  accordingly  declared  that  they  were  priests  and 
religious,  the  one  Peter  de  Zuiiiga,  of  the  order  of  St. 
Augustine ;  the  other,  Louis  Flores,'  of  the  order  of 
St.  Dominic.  In  making  this  declaration,  they  took 
every  possible  precaution  in  favor  of  Captain  Joa- 
chim ;  on  his  side.  Blessed  Charles  made  application 
to  Gonroc  and  the  Prince  of  Firando,  but  in  vain. 
He  had  no  greater  success  in  his  endeavors  to  exer- 
cise his  zeal  among  the  peoj)le  :  he  was  kept  isolated 
and  brought  back  with  his  companions  to  the  prison 
of  Omura.     His  journey  had  no  other  effect  than  to 

>  Or  rather  Fraryn.     See  the  notice  of  this  martyr  in  the  appen- 
dix. 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  189 

bring  on  liim  a  catarrh,  from  wliicli  he  suffered  all 
winter,  and  the  merit  of  immovable  patience. 


V. — The  Condemnation. 

The  declaration  of  the  two  religious  had  thrown 
the  ambitious  Gonroc  into  a  terrible  state  of  embar- 
rassment. It  was  a  contradiction  of  the  positive  and 
repeated  affirmations  by  which  he  had  led  his  sove- 
reign into  error.  What  might  he  not  expect  from 
the  Emperor's  wrath  when  he  learned  the  truth  ? 
The  only  chance  of  safety  for  Gonroc  was  to  be 
prompt,  and  whilst  acknowledging  the  facts,  explain 
them,  and,  in  as  much  as  possible,  allay  the  violence 
of  the  first  outbursts.  For  this  end,  after  having 
provided  for  the  safe  keeping  of  the  prisoners,  he  re- 
paired to  the  capital,  obtained  an  audience,  and  re- 
lated what  had  occurred.  The  emperor,  at  the 
recital,  became  violently  angry :  "  What  audacity  !" 
he  cried ;  "  these  men  already  banished  and  pro- 
scribed, dare  to  set  my  edicts  at  defiance,  and  enter 
my  empire  by  stealth  !  And  there  are  to  be  found 
Japanese  to  conduct  them  hither  !  What  further  re- 
mains for  them,  if  it  be  not  to  seize  the  supreme 
power  ?" 

At  this  moment  a  courier  arrives  from  Firando,  to 
announce  to  the  emperor  that  one  of  the  two  religious 
had  attempted  to  escape  from  prison,  and  had  well 
nigh  succeeded.  In  fact.  Father  I^lores,  detained  on 
a  rock  not  far  from  Firando,  had  succeeded  with  the 
aid  of  some   neophytes   in   embarking,  but  he  was 


190  LIFE    OF   THE 

overtaken,  bound,  and  brought  back  to  prison.  This 
exasperated  Xongun  beyond  all  bounds.  He  said  to 
Gonroc,  "  This  is  all  your  fault ;  had  I  given  to  an- 
other the  charge  I  confided  to  you,  Japan  would  now 
be  delivered  from  all  these  foreign  Bonzes,  who  come 
to  disturb  my  empire  by  preaching  a  law  contrary  to 
all  our  sects.  It  is  because  you  do  not  keep  a  strict 
enough  watch  over  the  vessels  that  enter  your  ports, 
that  these  priests  daily  arrive.  Heturn  promptly  to 
Nagasaki  and  burn  alive  those  two  religious  who 
lately  arrived  there,  with  the  captain  who  brought 
them.  Put  to  the  same  torture  all  the  priests  and  re- 
ligious whom  you  will  find,  whether  Europeans  or 
Japanese.  Spare  neither  their  hosts,  nor  the  wives 
of  their  hosts,  their  children  of  what  age  soever  they 
may  be,  nor  even  the  Christians  who  inhabit  the 
neighboring  houses  ;  off  with  all  their  heads  ;  and 
treat  in  like  manner  all  the  crew  of  the  captured 
vesseL  I  wish,  moreover,  that  the  wives  and  chil- 
dren of  those  who  have  been  put  to  death  within  the 
last  three  ^^ears  for  the  Christian  religion,  or  who  are 
still  in  prison  for  the  same  cause,  be  likewise  put  to 
death.  Make  every  effort  to  discover  the  religious 
who  are  still  secreted  in  Japan,  and  take  care  that 
not  one  enter  henceforth  :  for,  if  through  your  fault, 
trouble  arise  in  the  State,  your  head  must  pay  the 
penalty." 

Such  was  the  sentence  of  the  emperor  Xongun, 
who  inaugurated  the  great  era  of  the  martyrs  of  Ja- 
pan ;  in  a  few  days  one  hundred  and  twenty  persons 
were  put  to  death  for  their  religion,  and  during  ten 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  191 

years  Christian  blood  ceased  not  to  bedew  an  un- 
grateful soil.  Gonroc  returned  to  Nagasaki,  stunnpd 
by  the  menaces  of  his  master.  Of  himself,  he  was 
not  cruel ;  we  have  seen  him  accessible  to  compas- 
sion ;  but  as  the  tool  of  a  tyrant,  he  was  capable 
of  proceeding  to  any  excess.  Besides,  self-inter- 
est stimulated  him  on  this  occasion  ;  he  had  to 
regain  the  favor  of  Xongun,  and  he  immediately 
strove  to  give  him  proofs  of  his  devotedness.  He 
commenced  by  causing  the  arrest  of  all  included  in 
the  sentence  of  the  emperor,  and  he  increased  the 
guard  and  redoubled  all  the  precautions  against  the 
prisoners.  On  the  19th  of  August,  1622,  he  caused 
the  two  religious  and  the  captain  to  be  burned  alive, 
and  beheaded  twelve  Christian  sailors  who  all  suf- 
fered death  with  an  admirable  constancy. 

When  intelligence  of  this  execution  reached  Omu- 
ra,  and  the  edict  of  the  emperor  was  there  made 
known,  the  joy  of  the  holy  confessors  was  inexpressi- 
ble. We  know  with  what  sentiments  they  awaited 
the  blessed  hour  of  their  sacrifice,  and  behold  it  is 
near!  They  can  no  longer  doubt  it.  They  hold 
themselves  in  readiness,  and  bid  farewell  from  a  dis- 
tance to  their  relatives  and  friends.  The  letters 
which  they  wrote  on  that  occasion,  and  which  fortu- 
nately escaped  the  vigilance  of  the  guards,  recalled 
the  letters  of  Cyprian  and  of  Ignatius'  of  the  primi- 

^  The  "  Revue  Catliolique"  for  May,  1867,  contains  the  beautiful 
letter  of  Blessed  Richard  of  St.  Anne,  a  Belgian  religious  of  the  or- 
der of  St.  Francis,  to  his  colleagues  of  Nivelles. 


192  LIFE   OF   THE 

* 

tive  cliurcli.  Blessed  Charles  Spinola  wrote  to  bis 
superiors  and  to  some  other  Fathers,  and  left  his  last 
advice  to  the  members  of  the  Sodality  of  Nagasaki. 
We  extract  from  his  letters  what  appears  of  greatest 
interest : 

"  To  THE  Eevekend  Father  Provincial  : 

"  Yesterday  our  prison  was  visited  by  our  guards  in 
a  sort  of  fury.  We  thought  they  came  to  massacre 
or  lead  us  to  Nagasaki,  but  it  was  to  take  the  names 
of  the  prisoners.  We  have  learned  of  the  beautiful 
death  of  those  who  had  arrived  from  Manilla.  I 
hope  that  w^e,  like  them,  shall  soon  be  burned.  We 
are,  with  the  grace  of  God,  ready  for  everything,  and 
in  expectation  of  the  happy  moment.  Ineffable 
goodness  and  mercy  of  God  !  that  a  wTetcli  like  my- 
self shall  have  the  happiness  and  glory  to  die  for 
love  of  Him  !  May  I  also,  through  your  prayers, 
through  the  intercession  of  Mary  and  the  saints,  be 
sufficiently  strong  in  body  and  soul  to  sustain  this 
last  combat  as  becomes  a  child  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus  !  Besides,  it  appears  to  me  that  God  has  pre- 
pared us  for  this  for  a  year,  and  above  all,  during  the 
last  two  months,  wdth  the  attention  of  a  master  of 
novices.  He  permitted  the  guards  to  be  more  severe, 
and  the  food  worse.  We  no  longer  have  the  conso- 
lation of  receiving  letters.  Nevertheless  the  greatest 
of  all  consolations  has  not  been  wanting  ;  by  a  special 
protection  of  Heaven  we  have  always  hosts  and  wine 
for  the  Holy  Sacrifice. 

"In  biddinpj  you  farewell,  reverend  Father,  I  feel  a 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  193 

desire  to  cast  myself  at  your  feet  and  ask  pardon  for 
all  my  faults,  particularly  for  having  profited  so  lit- 
tle by  the  means  of  sanctification  which  were  offered 
me  during  these  four  years  imprisonment.  ...  I 
beg  all  my  Fathers  and  Brothers,  whom  I  embrace 
for  the  last  time  Avith  all  my  heart,  to  help  to  thank 
God  for  me,  and  to  obtain  for  me  constancy  in  the 
decisive  trial.  I  enclose  in  this  letter  two  reliquaries 
containing  precious  mementoes  :  one  is  a  piece  of  the 
sack  which  Saint  Ignatius  wore  after  his  conversion, 
and  which  has  wrought  many  miracles  ;  the  other 
containing  a  relic  of  the  Blessed  Aloysius  Gon- 
zaga,  sent  to  me  by  our  reverend  Father  General.  I 
have  added  some  of  Brother  Ambrose  Fernandez' 
hair.  I  also  send  you  the  pictures  which  I  had 
placed  in  my  breviary  ;  if  you  will  have  the  kindness 
to  distribute  them,  they  will  recall  me  to  the  remem- 
brance of  our  Fathers  in  Japan  and  Macao  who  knew 
me.  If  God  grants  me  the  grace  of  admitting  me  to 
the  holy  mountain,  I  shall  never  forget  either  you  or 
our  dear  Province. 

"  Chaeles, 
"  Condemned  to  death  for  the 

"  Name  of  Jesus." 
August  28,  1622. 

The  letter  to  Father  Baeza,  rector  of  Nagasaki,  con- 
tains similar  details ;  but  we  read,  in  that  which  is 
addressed  to  Father  Jerome  Buiz,  visitor  of  China 
and  of  Japan,  the  following  lines  : 

"  In  consequence  of  the  nev/  severities  of  which  we 
were  the  object,  I  have  had  to  struggle  against  hun- 


19tl:  LIFE   OF   THE 

ger  and  weakness.  Father  Sebastian  (Kimnra)  and 
my  novices  suffered  like  myself,  and  some  of  my  com- 
panions (we  were  tliirty-two)  appeared  ready  to  ex- 
pire. Now  I  am  only  skin  and  bone,  and  until  to-day 
I  have  not  been  able  to  stand  without  feeling  dizzy. 
Praised  be  God,  who  appears  to  wish  to  preserve  all 
to  be  offered  to  Him  as  holocausts  : 

"Saraba,  saraba  (a  Japanese  word,  meaning  adieu). 

August  30,  1G22. 

"  Charles, 

"  Condemned  to  death  for  the 

"  Christian  Faith." 

The  executions  which  had  previously  taken  place, 
whether  at  Nagasaki  or  in  the  other  parts  of  the  em- 
pire, were  only  the  prelude  to  what  has  been  justly 
styled  "  The  Great  Martyrdom."  Gonroc  became 
more  furious  as  time  went  on  ;  the  smell  of  blood 
seemed  to  intoxicate  him.  At  Omura,  he  had  select 
victims  :  he  caused  them  to  be  counted,  and  "in  a  few 
days,"  said  he  to  the  governor  Ficoiemon,  "  I  will  rid 
you  of  all  these  !" 

Ficoiemon  was  accordingly  ordered  to  convey  to 
Omura  all  the  prisoners  arrested  within  the  limits  of 
the  government  of  Nagasaki.  He  repaired  to  the 
prison  Vv^ith  a  body  of  soldiers,  and  sent  in  four  guards, 
who  seized  the  confessors  one  by  one,  bound  their 
hands  and  delivered  them  to  the  escort.  There  were 
twenty-four  religious ;  the  other  prisoners,  namely, 
two  religious  and  six  Japanese,  not  having  been  ar- 
rested within  the  territory  of  Nagasaki,  were  reserved 
to  undergo,  on  the  third  day,  the  same  fate  at  Omura. 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPIKOLA.  195 

This  separation  occasioned  a  very  toiicliing  scene,  in 
which  the  noblest  sentiments  were  manifested  on  both 
sides.  Charles  and  his  companions  were  radiant  with 
happiness  ;  already  ihej  beheld  heaven  open  to  re- 
ceive them ;  the  others  saw,  with  a  holy  envy,  the  de- 
parture of  those  with  whom  they  expected  to  triumph 
as  they  had  suffered  together.  They  mingled  their 
tears  in  a  last  embrace  ;  they  sang  together  the  can- 
ticle of  their  deliverance.  It  was  on  the  9th  of  Sep- 
tember, Friday,  a  day  consecrated  by  the  captives  to 
penance  in  honor  of  the  passion  of  our  Lord  :  the  fu- 
ture martyrs  drew  new  strength  from  this  thought, 
rejoicing  to  sanctify,  by  fasting,  the  eve  of  their  tri- 
umph. 

They  set  out.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill  of  Suzuta,  a 
large  junk  was  prepared  for  the  prisoners,  and  several 
small  craft  for  their  escort.  The  latter  had  received 
orders  to  let  no  one  approach  under  any  pretext,  and 
even  to  prevent  all  communication  ;  but  it  was  scarce- 
ly possible  to  restrain  the  zeal  of  the  confessors  of 
the  Faith.  During  the  few  hours'  passage  across  the 
bay  of  Omura,  they  constantly  exhorted  the  soldiers, 
the  sailors,  and  all  within  the  reach  of  their  voices,  to 
remain  faithful  if  they  were  Christians — to  become 
Christians  if  they  were  not  such  already,  and  to  do 
penance  if  they  had  had  the  misfortune  to  yield  to 
torments.  "It  is  for  you,"  said  they,  "for  your  eter- 
nal happiness  that  we  came,  and  we  now  bear  with 
joy  fire  and  the  sword." 

Having  reached  Naga  or  Nagaia,'  some  miles  from 

*  Others  say  the  fort  Nangaia.     This  must  be  a  mistake  :  the  fort 


198  LIFE   OF   THE 

Nagasaki,  they  were  obliged  to  mount  on  horseback 
in  order  to  escape  the  importunity  of  the  Christians 
of  that  locality.  The  procession  was  thus  arranged  : 
a  superior  officer  rode  first,  accompanied  by  a  large 
number  of  guards  armed  with  lances  and  muskets ; 
the  confessors,  Spinola  at  their  head,  amid  a  company 
of  soldiers,  followed,  one  after  another,  a  rope  around 
their  necks,  each  one  having  an  executioner,  who  held 
the  end  of  the  rope.  Then  came  three  officers,  and 
finally,  to  close  the  procession,  a  guard,  which,  with 
those  on  the  flanks,  made  the  escort  amount  to  three 
or  four  hundred  men.  Besides  their  customary  arms, 
these  guards  had  large  bamboo  canes  to  keep  the 
Christians  at  a  distance.  After  marching  six  miles  in 
this  order,  they  halted  for  the  night  at  Uracam,  a 
place  in  the  territory  of  Nagasaki.  It  was  another 
night  of  suffering  for  the  confessors. 

Although  their  end  was  so  near,  they  were  all  igno- 
rant of  the  kind  of  torture  to  which  they  were  des- 
tined. Father  Spinola  was  informed  of  it  only  at 
break  of  day  and  after  this  manner.  Three  Chris- 
tians, one  of  them  Blessed  Spinola's  catechist,  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  access  to  the  prisoners.  This  cate- 
chist came  to  ask  the  last  blessing  of  Blessed  Charles  ; 
and  he  obtained  more  than  he  hoped.  The  holy  man 
also  gave  him  the  discipline  he  had  made  use  of  du- 
ring his  imprisonment.  On  his  side,  as  if  to  show  the 
price  he  attached  to  this  relic,  and  his  gratitude,  the 


of  Nangaia  lies  to  the  nortli  of  Omura,  in  an  opposite  direction  to 
that  of  Nagasaki. 


BLESSED   CHAELES   SPINOLA.  197 

catecliist  announced  to  his  beloved  Father  that  the 
stake  was  prejoared  for  him.  These  words  completed 
the  happiness  of  the  generous  martyr !  Before  the 
close  of  the  day  his  sweetest  hopes  should  be  real- 
ized ! 

Gonroc,  in-  hopes  of  regaining  the  favor  of  his  sov- 
ereign,  resolved   to   manifest   on   this   occasion   the 
greatest  rigor.     He  wished  to  acquire  with  the  em- 
peror  a   reputation   for   severity,    and   strike   terror 
among  the  Christians,  too  numerous,  in  his  opinion, 
to  be  subjected  to  the  same  chastisement.     With  this 
view  there  were  to  be  assembled  at  the  same  place 
and  hour,  united  in  the  same  holocaust,  the  twenty- 
four  religious  of  Omura,  and  the  thirty-one  Christians 
detained  at  Nagasaki ;  while  the  heads  of  the  accom- 
phces  fell  by  the  sword,  the  fire  was  to  be  slowly  con- 
suming the  great  culj^rits.     No  one  was  to  converse 
with  the  condemned  or  pass  the  limits  marked  ;   but 
at  that  distance  spectators  were  to  have  every  liberty, 
and  the  governor  would  have  no  objection  to  see  an 
immense  crowd  gather.    From  a  very  different  motive 
our  saint  rejoiced  at  all  this  preparation ;   he  beheld 
in  it  a  triumph  for  faith  and  an  exhortation  to  mar- 
tyrdom.    In  order  to  appear  worthily  at  this  festival, 
he  had  had  two  surplices  of  pure  white  prepared,  in 
advance,  for  himself  and  Father  Sebastian  Kimura, 
and  new  habits  for  the  seven  other  Jesuits,  his  nov- 
ices, whom  he  had  just  admitted  to  their  vows.     But 
even  this  did  not  suffice  to  exalt  religion  in  the  eyes 
of  the  idolaters.     They,  too,  affected  pomp  and  dis- 
play when  death  was  to  be  confronted,  and  Christian 


198  LIFE  OF   THE 

devotedness  was  to  be  clearly  distinguislied  from 
pagan  pride.  Blessed  Charles  had  prepared  a  stand- 
ard, bearing,  in  large  letters,  the  holy  name  of  Jesus, 
surrounded  by  rays,  the  whole  of  precious  stuff  and 
elegantly  embroidered.  He  proposed  to  carry  this 
labarum  from  his  entrance  into  Nagasaki  till  he  stood 
amid  the  flames ;  but  Gonroc  feared  the  effect  of  such 
a  demonstration  and  forbade  him  to  carry  it  out. 
Perhaps,  too,  it  was  better  that  the  martyrs  of  Christ 
should,  like  their  divine  model,  be  made  a  spectacle 
with  all  the  externals  of  suffering  and  misery. 

The  day  had  come,  and  the  sun  was  already  rising 
above  the  horizon ;  after  a  slight  collation,  the  cor- 
tege of  prisoners  and  guards  proceeded  to  Nagasaki 
in  the  same  order  and  with  the  same  precautions  as  on 
the  previous  day.     The  road  was  lined  with  specta- 
tors, and  as  they  approached  the  city  the  crowd  in- 
creased.    These  were  especially  Christians,  coming 
bathed  in  tears  to  salute  the  martyrs  of  the  faith, 
ask  their  blessing,  and  commend  themselves  to  their 
prayers.     "  What,"  they  cried,  "  will  become  of  our 
once  flourishing  church  when  we  have  no  longer  any 
pastors  ?"     Their  grief  was  intense  and  their  lamen- 
tations heart-rending.     The  confessors  replied  with 
emotion  by  marks   of    affection   and   especially  by 
courageous  exhortations.     "  Our  prayers  shall  never 
fail  you,  if,  as  we  hope,  we  are    going  to  heaven. 
But  do  you  be  true  to  yourselves ;  suffer  all  rather 
than  lose   the  faith.     Be  faithful  till  death,  to  the 
stake."     These  and  similar  words  the}^  were  obliged 
to  repeat  incessantly  to  all  the  groups  studding  the 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  199 

three  miles  between  Uracam  and  Nagasaki.  They 
did  not  enter  the  city,  for  Gonroc  foresaw  that  in  the 
streets  his  pohce  would  be  powerless  to  suppress  an 
outbreak ;  the  martyrs  were  led  straight  to  the  place 
of  execution,  where  a  scene  awaited  them  whose  im- 
posing solemnity  words  cannot  convey.  But  to  un- 
derstand all  the  details  of  the  martyrdom,  it  requires 
some  description  of  the  sj)ot. 

The  city  of  Nagasaki  lies  on  the  west  coast  of  the 
island  of  Ximo,  at  the  head  of  a  picturesque  bay  that 
forms  its  harbor.  On  the  land  side  it  is  shut  in  by  a 
continuous  range  of  mountains,  except  on  the  north- 
east, where  the  road  comes  in  from  Omura  and  the 
kingdom  of  Figen.  This  road  before  reaching  Naga- 
saki skirts  on  the  right  an  elevated  table-land,  which 
advances  some  distance  into  the  bay.  This  promon- 
tory stands  out  so  clearly  to  the  eye  from  the  landscape 
in  the  background,  that  at  a  distance  it  would  be 
taken  for  an  island.  On  the  other  side  of  the  road, 
the  ground  rises  gradually  to  a  very  great  height. 
It  is  a  natural  amphitheatre,  capable  of  holding  an 
incalculable  number  of  spectators,  and  from  all  the 
points  of  this  immense  semicircle  the  eye  rests  on 
the  promontory  plateau.  This  eminence  had  attract- 
ed the  attention  of  all  the  persecutors,  and  been  time 
again  steeped  in  Christian  blood.  In  1597  it  had  wit- 
nessed the  courage  of  twenty-six  martyrs  crucified  for 
the  faith  and  now  honored  by  the  church  with  public 
cultus,  and  from  that  day  the  people  never  designa- 
ted it  under  any  name  but  "  The  Sacred  Mountain." 
This  same  place  Gonroc  had  selected  for  the  execution. 


200  LIFE    OF   THE 

At  the  extremity  of  the  promontory,  on  an  emi- 
nence, rose  a  richly-decorated  platform,  covered  with 
China  carpets,  and  surrounded  by  the  insignia  of  au- 
thority and  justice.  There,  with  his  fellow-function- 
ary, was  to  sit  the  cruel  Suquendaiu,  appointed  by 
Gonroc  to  preside  at  the  execution.  From  this  domi- 
nant point,  facing  the  mountain,  he  could  follow  the 
movements  of  the  confessors  almost  at  his  feet,  as 
well  as  of  the  more  distant  spectators.  Two  parallel 
lines  stretched  across  the  table  land — one  for  the  vic- 
tims destined  to  perish  by  the  sword ;  the  other  for 
those  condemned  to  the  stake.  The  first  had  only 
the  places  marked  out ;  the  second  was  formed  of 
twenty-five  stakes,  with  piles  of  wood  around  at  a 
distance  of  six  j^ards.  The  arena  occupied  by  these 
preparations  was  enclosed  by  a  paling  strong  enough 
to  resist  an  ordinary  pressure,  and  low  enough  to 
leave  all  visible  that  took  place  inside.  The  ap- 
proaches to  this  enclosure  were  guarded  by  an  impo- 
sing force  :  the  lancers  of  Firando  on  the  seaside — 
the  musketeers  of  Omura  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain. 
These  precautions  would  have  been  unavailing  had 
the  Christians  had  any  idea  of  revolt ;  under  the 
actual  circumstances  they  were  superfluous. 

The  crowd  that  gathered  to  witness  the  scene  sur- 
passed all  that  could  have  been  anticipated.  It  cov- 
ered the  mountain  and  occupied  all  the  favorable 
points  along  the  bay.  It  was  estimated  that  there 
were  thirty  thousand  Christians  besides  the  pagans. 
They  were  the  whole  population  of  Nagasaki  and  its 
neighborhood.     Long  before  the  appointed  hour,  all, 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  201 

especially  tlie  Christians,  were  there  in  feverish  ex- 
pectation ;  their  eyes  now  fixed  on  the  stakes  already 
in  their  imagination  lit  up  by  the  flames,  then  on  the 
Omura  road,  where  every  moment  they  seemed  to  see 
the  head  of  the  noble  procession.  At  last  it  appears. 
As  soon  as  it  was  well  in  sight,  and  they  began  to 
recognize  the  countenances  of  the  prisoners,  such  a 
clamor  arose,  mingled  with  sobs  and  sighs  of  joy,  that 
not  a  word  could  be  heard.  During  this  time  the 
confessors  had  advanced  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain, 
where  they  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  prisoners  from 
Nagasaki.  This  halt  allowed  the  emotion  to  subside, 
and  the  holy  victims  to  be  better  examined.  All  eyes 
were  fixed  on  Father  Spinola,  so  known,  yet  so  past 
recognition — not  only  aged  and  disfigured,  but  ema- 
ciated, scarce  able  to  stand ;  but  with  all  this  his 
countenance  shone  with  the  beauty  peculiar  to  holi- 
ness, and  his  features  expressed  a  heavenly  joy  which 
reached  the  heart  and  called  forth  tears  of  devotion. 
After  a  delay  of  an  hour,  the  prisoners  from  Naga- 
saki appeared.  Besides  the  men,  there  were  several 
women  and  five  children,  three  of  them  very  young. 
Most  of  them  were  condemned  to  lose  their  heads. 
The  barbarous  decree  of  Xongun  turned  into  a  crime 
the  hospitality  they  had  given  to  religious,  or  the 
fact  of  being  wife  or  child  of  such  a  host,  or  simply 
having  lived  in  the  neighborhood.  They  might,  in- 
deed, have  saved  their  heads  by  abjuring  their  reli- 
gion ;  but  when  cited  before  Gonroc  they  had  con- 
fessed the  faith  with  unshaken  courage.  This 
noble  band  arrived  singing,  followed  from  their  prison 


202  LIFE    OF   THE 

by  a  pious  multitude,  mourning  especially  over  the 
fate  of  the  children  carried  to  execution  in  their 
mothers'  arms.  The  meeting  of  the  two  companies 
of  martyrs  Avas  worthy  and  cordial.  Reciprocal  con- 
gratulations, marks  of  esteem  and  affection  were  ex- 
changed till  the  inclosure  was  opened  and  the  execu- 
tioners began  their  task. 

At  an  order  of  the  President,  the  thirty  who  were 
to  be  beheaded  w'ere  brought  in  and  placed  on  the 
designated  line  opposite  the  stakes.  Then  the  twen- 
ty-five others  (this  number  is  now  well  settled),  who 
were  to  perish  by  fire,  w^ere  taken  to  their  stakes, 
each  by  a  special  executioner  appointed  to  bind  him. 
The  custom  was,  to  bind  the  person  so  that  he  could 
not  escape  from  his  bonds ;  now,  the  contrary  was 
done.  Only  the  hands  of  the  confessors  were  tied, 
and  so  slightly,  that  by  the  least  effort,  they  would 
be  free  in  all  their  movements  ;  and,  to  facilitate  flight 
still  more,  vacant  spaces  w^ere  left  between  the  piles 
of  wood. 

The  first  stakes,  beginning  from  the  seashore,  were 
assigned  to  Japanese  :  Anthony  Sanga,  Paul  Nan- 
gasci,  Anthony  of  Corea,  and  Lucy  de  Freitas  the 
widow  of  a  Portuguese.  Father  Charles  Spinola  was 
led  to  the  fifth  stake.  Then  followed  three  Domin- 
icans— Fathers  Angelo  Orsucci,  Joseph  of  St.  Hya- 
cinth, and  Hyacinth  Orfanel :  then  the  Jesuit  Father 
Sebastian  Kimura,  followed  by  six  other  Dominican 
and  Franciscan  friars — Fathers  Richard  of  St.  Anne, 
Alphonsus  de  Mena,  Peter  de  Avila,  Yincent  of  St. 
Joseph,   Francis  Morales,  Leo  de  Satzuma.     After 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  203 

tliem  came  five  of  the  scholastics  formed  by  Father 
Spinola — Anthony  Chiuni,  Gonsalvo  Fusai,  Thomas 
Acafosci,  Peter  Sampo,  and  Michael  Xumpo  ;  be- 
tween this  last  and  Louis  Cavara  were  the  wretched 
three  who  took  flight.  The  last  stake  was  that  of  the 
Dominican  Brother,  Alexis.  There  were  three  more 
to  be  burned,  but  as  there  were  no  more  stakes  they 
were  beheaded.  Among  them  was  John  Ciongocu, 
a  disciple  of  Blessed  Spinola.  All  these  details  are 
known  by  the  depositions  of  eye-witnesses  ;  there  has 
even  been  preser^vi^d  a  Japanese  painting  executed 
by  one  of  these  witnesses,  representing  the  confessors, 
each  at  his  stake  and  the  twenty- one  religious  in  the 
habits  of  their  several  orders. 

Wlien  Blessed  Spinola  was  led  to  his  stake,  he 
could  not  contain  his  joy  and  gratitude.  He  fell  on 
his  knees,  kissed  the  instrument  of  his  martyrdom, 
and  performed  these  acts  with  such  sincere  respect, 
that  all  present  burst  forth,  as  by  a  sympathetic 
movement,  in  a  unanimous  acclamation.  The  pious 
martyr  rose  and  was  tied  to  the  stake.  There  was 
nothing  to  do  except  to  draw  the  swords  and  light 
the  fires.  Then  amid  the  silence,  natural  at  that  mo- 
ment of  attention  and  anxiety,  Spinola  solemnly 
intoned  the  psalm  "LaudateDominum  omnesgentes" 
— Praise  the  Lord  all  ye  nations !  His  companions 
took  it  up  with  joy,  and  from  all  sides  the  Christians 
raised  to  heaven  those  accents  of  gratitude.  ''Never," 
said  witnesses  subsequently,  "never  did  we  hear 
anything  so  sweet ;  it  was  ravishing,  it  was  heavenly." 
Many  were   convinced  that  angelic  voices   mingled 


204  LIFE   OF   THE 

with  the  voices  of  the  martyrs,  and  in  a  juridical  in- 
vestigation that  took  place  at  Manilla,  Gonsalvo 
Montero  de  Carvalho  made  a  formal  deposition  in 
support  of  this  opinion.  All  present  were  certainly 
electrified,  enthusiasm  gained  the  most  indifferent, 
and  the  very  pagans  were  moved  to  tears. 

Our  Saint,  ever  attentive  to  the  occasions  God 
afforded  his  zeal,  seized  this  moment  to  proclaim  his 
apostohc  words.  Turning  towards  Suquendaiu,  who 
was  quite  near  him,  "You  see  what  the  European 
religious  come  to  seek  in  Japan.-  Their  joy  at  the 
sight  of  this  fearful  torture  shows  you  the  injustice  of 
your  suspicions  and  your  prejudices  against  them. 
The  Christian  religion  does  not  lead  us  who  had  re- 
nounced all  this  world's  goods  for  Christ's  sake,  to 
covet  your  lands  and  your  dignities.  "What  we  seek 
is  the  salvation  of  your  souls.  We  are  happy  to  give 
our  lives  for  so  noble  a  cause.  Do  not  imagine  that 
by  our  death  you  will  alarm  the  preachers  of  the  gos- 
pel and  prevent  their  coming  to  Japan  ;  on  the  con- 
trary, this  will  draw  them.  From  the  ashes  of  a  sin- 
gle one  a  hundred  others  will  rise,  who,  inheriting 
our  courage,  Avill  also  glorify  God  in  their  mortal 
bodies."  Then  addressing  the  assembled  multitude 
he  said: "This  fire  that  is  about  to  consume  us  is  but 
the  shadow  of  that  with  which  the  true  God  will  pun- 
ish for  eternity  all  who  refuse  to  acknowledge  him, 
or  who,  after  acknowledging  Him,  do  not  live  accord- 
ing to  the  sanctity  of  his  law."  To  the  Portuguese 
whom  he  beheld  present  he  then  addressed  so  touching 
an  exhortation,  that  one  of  the  chief  among  them,  as 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  205 

Father  Benedict  Fernandez  attests  in  a  letter,  formed 
tlie  resolution  to  leave  the  world  and  enter  the  Society 
of  Jesus. 

The  President,  in  haste,  put  an  end  to  these  de- 
monstrations ;   he  ordered  the  execution  to  begin  by 
those  to  be  beheaded.     Among  these  were  Elizabeth 
Fernandez  with  her  little  Ignatius,  baptized  by  our 
Saint  on  the  eve  of  his  arrest  and  now  four  years  old. 
She  was  a  widow,  for  her  husband,  Dominic  Georgi, 
had  been  burnt  alive  on  the  15th  of  November,  1619, 
for  having  given  hospitality  to  Father  Spinola.     It  is 
related  that  on  hearing  of  his  father's  death,  little 
Ignatius    exclaimed    that  he  would  be  a  martyr  too. 
Then  turning  to  his  mother,  he  said  with  an  assured 
air,  "  Yes,  I  shall  be  a  martyr,  and  you,  too,  dear 
mother,  but  my  sister  will  not," — a  prediction  verified 
in  every  syllable  by  the  event.     The  child  could  not 
see  a  sabre  without  transports  of  joy,  in  the  thought 
of  the  happiness  that  awaited  him.     When  he  made 
a  present  to  any  one,  he  never  failed  to  say,  "  Keep 
it,  for  I  am  going  to  be  a  martyr,"  and  then  he  would 
relate  the  most  wonderful  dreams.     His  mother  had 
had  the  same  presentiments  in  her  childhood,  and 
her  whole  life  had  been  but  a  preparation  for  martyr- 
dom.    She  entered  the  arena  holding  a  crucifix  in 
one  hand  and  her  beads  in  the  other,  and  singing  the 
"  Laudate  Dominum  omnes  gentes."     When  about  to 
receive  the  fatal  blow  she  saluted  Father  Spinola,  who 
then   recognized  her.      Little   Ignatius   was   behind 
his  mother,  and  the  holy  man  did  not  see  him.     But 
a  sweet  recollection  awoke  in  his  heart :  "  Where  is 
18 


206  LIFE    OF    THE 

my  little  Ignatius,  he  exclaimed,  "  what  have  you 
done  with  him  ?"  "  Here  he  is,"  replied  the  mother, 
taking  him  up  in  her  arms,  "  I  would  not  deprive  him 
of  the  only  happiness  I  could  afford  him."  The  child 
was  radiant  with  joy,  and,  like  all  the  Christians, 
dressed  in  his  finest  clothes.  His  mother  said  :  "  See, 
my  dear  son,  this  is  Father  Charles,  who  made  you  a 
child  of  God ;  ask  his  blessing."  Then  the  innocent 
child  knelt  down,  clasped  his  hands  and  asked  the 
blessing  of  the  holy  missionary.  Father  Spinola, 
unable  to  lift  his  bound  hands,  raised  his  eyes  to 
heaven  and  cast  them  down  on  the  child  with  an  in- 
describable expression  of  happiness.  At  this  sight, 
a  cry  of  admiration  and  pity  burst  from  every  lip  ;  to 
repress  it,  the  signal  for  the  execution  was  given.  The 
executioners  struck  off  two  or  three  heads  which  fell  at 
the  feet  of  little  Ignatius ;  he  did  not  seem  alarmed. 
They  came  to  his  mother  ;  he  saw  her  head  fall  off 
without  betraying  any  terror.  He  himself  with  an 
intrepidity  not  to  be  explained  naturally  in  such  a 
tender  age,  bowed  his  head  and  received  the  death 
stroke.  Sublime  child  !  thy  name  shall  be  celebrated 
in  the  most  solemn  acts  of  the  Church  on  earth  ;^  but 
who  shall  describe  the  splendors  and  joys  of  thy  re- 
ception in  heaven ! 

As  soon  as  the  first  company  consummated  their 
sacrifice,  the  thirty  heads  were  ranged  in  front  of 
those  to  be  burned  and  the  fire  was  lighted.     At  the 

1  The  Brief  of  Beatification  gives  a  magnificent  eulogy  of  the 
Boy  Martyr. 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  207 

same  moment  from  tlie  bay,  the  mountains,  from  all 
sides,  rose  a  confused  murmur.  It  was  tlie  public 
prayer  of  the  Christians  for  the  confessors  of  the 
faith ;  the  solemn  application  of  the  Church  to  obtain 
for  them  the  grace  of  perseverance  at  that  decisive 
moment.  The  trial  was  terrible  indeed.  Every  cal- 
culation had  been  made  to  prolong  the  fiery  torture, 
by  managing  the  distance,  the  quantity  of  fuel,  the 
direction  of  the  smoke.  As  soon  as  the  fire  burned 
up  intensely,  the  attendants  carefully  moderated  it ; 
the  victims  were  to  be  literally  roasted.  Some,  like 
Father  Kimura,  suffered  thus  for  three  hours. 

In  this  position  Father  Spinola  had  the  courage  to 
think  of  his  companions.  The  stake  of  Lucy  de 
Freitas  was  near  his  as  he  had  desired.  He  gave  her 
the  last  absolution.  Soon  after,  the  fire  having  con- 
sumed the  poor  woman's  dress,  her  modesty  was 
shocked;  the  missionary  exhorted  her  to  bear  this 
confusion  for  love  of  Him  to  whom  she  had  offered 
her  sufferings  and  death.  But  the  great  anxiety  of 
the  holy  martyr  v,'as  his  fear  lest  some  of  his  com- 
panions might  yield.  Should  this  happen  what  a 
loss !  what  a  scandal !  This  anxiety,  that  had  not 
ceased  since  they  left  their  prison,  now  grew  more  in- 
tense. "  Be  not  astonished,"  he  said  to  the  execution- 
ers, "  if  you  perceive  any  weakness.  We  are  not  made 
of  iron,  our  bodies  are  mortal,  sensible  to  pain.  Still 
I  trust  that  God  will  give  us  strength  to  suffer 
courageously  for  his  glory."  It  was  so  at  first,  but 
when  the  fire  burned  in  all  its  devouring  activity, 
three   Japanese    rushed    from   their   stakes,   leaped 


208  LIFE    OF   THE 

through  the  fagots,  and,  invoking  the  gods  of  Japan, 
implored  the  President's  clemency.  Either  from  con- 
tempt for  their  cowardice,  or  rage  at  the  constancy 
of  all  the  rest,  that  officer  coldly  ordered  them  to  be 
cast  back  into  the  flames,  and  horrible  to  relate  they 
perished  apostates,  when,  but  a  moment  before,  they 
seemed  to  hold  the  martyr's  palm/ 

After  this  melancholy  defection,  the  holy  martyrs, 
to  the  number  of  twenty-two,  were  slowly  consumed, 
before  the  eyes  of  the  Christians  who  persevered  in 
prayer.  Blessed  Spinola  was  the  first  to  die.  He 
was  of  a  delicate  constitution,  and  in  consequence  of 
his  imprisonment  in  a  state  of  extreme  debility ;  yet 
it  was  an  accidental  cause  that  hastened  his  death. 
Some  sparks  from  the  fagots  falling  on  his  habit  set 
it  on  fire,  and  the  flames  rapidly  reached  the  princi- 
pal organs.  As  soon  as  he  saw  that  no  duty  bound 
him  longer  to  earth,  he  collected  himself,  and  calmly 
raising  his  eyes  to  heaven,  offered  to  God  the  sacrifice 
of  his  life.  While  the  fire  consumed  him,  he  stood  as 
long  as  he  could  straight  and  motionless ;  then  sud- 

^  Tlie  process  of  canonization  lias  cleared  up  all  tlie  essential  par 
ticulars  as  to  tliese  unliappy  men.  There  is  only  an  unimportant 
doubt  as  to  tlie  culpability  of  tlie  third  apostate.  According  to  some 
witnesses  he  did  not  formally  apostatize,  or  at  all  events  retracted. 
But  he  is  not  numbered  among  the  martyrs  any  more  than  the  other 
two.  It  is  well  here  to  correct  an  important  error  in  Bartoli's  His- 
tory of  Japan,  where  Paul  Nangasci  is  named  as  one  of  the  three. 
This  noble  martyr  was  in  a  different  part  of  the  line,  and  when  the 
wretched  men  passed  his  stake  he  called  to  them  earnestly,  en- 
deavoring to  detain  them.  In  this  way  only  was  he  connected  with 
them. 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  209 

denly  sank  down,  and  prostrate,  as  if  in  a  last  prayer, 
gave  up  bis  soul  to  God,  and  went  to  heaven  to  re- 
ceive the  palm  he  had  so  well  merited.  He  was  fifty- 
eight  years  of  age. 

For  three  days  the  bodies  of  the  fifteen  martyrs 
were  guarded  on  the  scene  of  the  execution,  and,  ex- 
cept the  head  of  Mary  Tocuan,  who  was  a  relative  of 
the  governor,  they  were  all  burned  with  their  stakes 
and  everything  belonging  to  them.  The  ashes  were 
collected  in  bags  and  cast  into  the  sea.  Even  the 
bloodstained  earth  was  removed.  This  was  the  first 
time  that  such  precautions  had  been  taken  against 
the  veneration  of  the  faithful.  But  what  can  men 
effect  against  saints  whom  God  chooses  to  glorify. 
Before  the  very  eyes  of  the  guards  an  extraordinary 
light  for  several  nights  illumined  the  sacred  moun- 
tain— as  testified  by  witnesses — the  brilliancy  was 
visible  out  at  sea,  as  if  a  reflection  of  the  immortal 
light  enjoyed  by  the  souls  of  the  martyrs  in  heaven — 
as  a  forerunner  of  the  glory  with  which  Jesus  will 
one  day  crown  them  in  the  day  of  his  triumph. 


I 


210  LIFE   OF   THE 


PART    V. 

BEATIFICATION. 
I. — Examination  of  the  Case. 

It  belongs  to  the  supreme  authority  of  the  church 
of  Christ  to  regulate  iDublic  worship,  and  propose  to 
the  veneration  of  the  faithful  those  of  her  children 
who  enjoy  the  Beatific  vision.  Before  decreeing  such 
honors,  it  subjects  to  a  most  rigorous  examination 
the  acts  and  virtues,  the  life  and  death  of  the  person, 
and  does  not  pronounce  but  with  a  full  knowledge  of 
the  case,  and  after  having  long  implored  the  light  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  The  rigor  of  the  proceedings  varies 
however  according  to  the  nature  of  the  case.  In  the 
case  of  one  who  terminated  his  career  by  a  natural 
death,  the  life  must  have  been  sanctified  by  heroic 
virtues,  and  his  presence  in  heaven  attested  by  indis- 
putable miracles.  In  the  case  of  those  who  have  suf- 
fered death  for  Christ,  it  is  less  severe,  or  rather,  it  is 
so  in  a  different  manner.  As  martyrdom  has,  like  a 
second  baptism,  the  power  to  efface  all  past  faults  and 
all  debts  contracted  towards  divine  justice,  examina- 
tion of  the  previous  life  of  the  martyr  would  be  super- 
fluous— that  of  miracles  even  is  not  indispensable. 
This  last  point  has  been  doctrinally  treated  anew  in 
the  process  of  the  Japanese  martyrs,  and  decided  as 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  211 

just  stated.  But,  on  the  otlier  hand,  the  martyrdom 
itself  is  subjected  to  the  most  minute  investigations. 
The  material  fact  of  death  endured  for  the  faith  and 
in  that  act  of  violence,  the  real  motive  of  the  persecu- 
tor, on  the  one  hand — and  on  the  other,  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  victim,  are  the  special  object  of  the  process* 

Every  process  of  this  kind  is  introduced  by  the  no- 
toriety of  the  facts,  then  by  official  reports,  and  finally 
by  the  solicitations  of  the  faithful,  and  especially  of 
constituted  bodies.  Some  details  of  the  proceedings 
observed  on  these  occasions,  will  not  be  out  of  place 
here. 

The  fact  of  the  great  martyrdom  was  witnessed  by 
a  multitude  of  witnesses  ;  it  soon  had  an  immense 
notoriety,  and  excited  the  whole  Catholic  world.  As 
soon  as  the  sacred  congregation  of  Rites  at  Kome  re- 
ceived official  accounts  of  this,  it  urged  the  apostolic 
Nuncio  at  Madrid  and  the  Bishop  of  Macao  to  insti- 
tute a  formal  inquiry.  This  inquest  took  place  with- 
out delay,  and  produced,  in  1625,  thirty-two  authentic 
depositions.  In  1626,  Father  Sebastian  Yieira,  procu- 
rator of  the  Jesuit  mission  in  Japan,  who  himself  sub- 
sequently shared  the  martyrs'  fate,  proceeded  to 
Rome,  and  was  heard  in  their  cause  as  an  eye  Avit- 
ness. 

At  the  same  time  there  began  to  arrive  petitions 
from  those  who  had  particular  motives  of  interest  in 
the  process.  Cardinal  John  Dominic  Spinola,  Bishop 
of  Lucca,  took  it  in  hand  as  a  kinsman  of  the  martyr, 
and  all  the  other  members  of  the  family  addressed  him 
letters  still  extant.     By  his  intervention  Father  Virgil 


212  LIFE   OF   THE 

Cepari,  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  was  appointed  postu- 
lator  of  the  cause.  He  did  not  confine  his  appUca- 
tion  to  Father  Spinola,  but  undertook  the  cause  of 
several  other  martyrs.  Then  the  process  took  another 
form ;  and,  at  the  instance  of  the  King  of  Spain  and 
the  procurators  of  the  religious  orders,  Pope  Urban 
VIII.,  in  1627,  ordered  the  examination  to  extend  to 
each  of  the  martyrs  named  in  the  depositions.  This 
took  place  at  Manilla  and  Macao,  and  sixty  deposi- 
tions taken  with  all  the  formalities  were  transmitted 
to  Rome. 

Then  discussions  began.  From  the  established 
facts,  was  there,  on  the  part  of  the  tyrant,  what  con- 
stitutes real  martyrdom  f  This  question  was  answered 
in  the  affirmative  on  3d  of  February,  1687,  and  con- 
firmed by  Innocent  XI.  In  the  hope  of  resolving  the 
same  question,  so  far  as  concerned  the  martyrs  them- 
selves, many  steps  were  taken  at  Rome  by  the  Cath- 
olic princes,  and  especially  by  the  repubhc  of  Genoa. 
"The  story  of  Father  Charles  Spinola,"  said  the  Doge, 
"  eclipses  the  noble  deeds  of  all  his  ancestors.  The 
canonization  of  such  a  man  will  prove  a  powerful 
motive  for  confidence  and  favor  for  the  Christian 
people."  Alexander  VIII.,  successor  of  Innocent  XL, 
was  about  to  terminate  the  process  when  he  died. 
Other  obstacles  arose — all  remained  in  suspense — and 
the  noble  cause,  causa  celeherrhna,  as  Benedict  XIV. 
called  it,  seemed  abandoned. 

The  glorification  of  our  holy  martyrs  was  reserved 
for  our  times.  Since  the  solemn  canonization  of  twen- 
ty-six Japanese  martyrs  in  1862,  the  postulators  of  the 


I 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPIXOLA.  213 

religious  orders,  supported  by  the  suffrages  of  the 
Catholic  world,  labored  with  zeal ;  Father  Joseph  Bo- 
ero,  in  particular,  warmly  urged  the  cause  of  Father 
Spinola  and  his  companions.  B}^  a  superior  order, 
the  sacred  Congregation  of  Kites,  presided  over  by 
Cardinal  Patrizi,  resumed  the  examination  of  the 
case,  and  His  Holiness,  Pius  IX.,  on  the  26th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1867,  declared  that  the  two  hundred  and  five 
martyrs  justified  this  title  on  their  side  and  that  of 
the  tyrant ;  and  at  last,  on  the  30th  of  April  follow- 
ing, that  nothing  farther  opposed  their  beatification. 
He,  at  the  same  time,  approved  four  miracles,  one  of 
them  due  to  the  intercession  of  Blessed  Spinola.  The 
facts  were  these : 

Petronilla  Orsini,  an  oblate  nun  of  the  Torre  di 
Specchi,  at  Home,  had  been  an  epileptic  for  more  than 
five  years.  She  did  not  pass  a  month  without  an  at- 
tack of  her  disease.  Then  she  fell  heavily ;  she 
showed  life  only  by  fearful  convulsions  and  by  foam- 
ing at  her  mouth.  The  disease  thus  characterized, 
and  inveterate  too,  in  a  person  over  forty,  was  regard- 
ed by  all  physicians  as  incurable,  and  remedies  were 
no  longer  applied.  In  1628,  the  sick  nun,  having  re- 
ceived from  Father  Fabius  Ambrose  Spinola  a  pic- 
ture of  the  Venerable  Charles  Spinola,  conceived  an 
extraordinary  confidence  that  she  would  obtain  her 
recovery  by  the  intercession  of  this  servant  of  God. 
Thus  disposed  she  addressed  him  a  fervent  prayer, 
and  promised  to  perform  daily  certain  acts  of  piety  in 
his  honor.  From  that  moment  she  was  completely 
delivered  from  her  disease,  and  never  had  the  slight- 


214  LIFE    OF   THE 

est  relapse  from  that  to  tlie  end  of  her  life.  This  was 
the  unanimous  testimony  of  the  other  sisters,  of  the 
physician  and  the  Jesuit  Father  Baldelli. 

The  fame  of  this  cure  filled  with  confidence  two 
Benedictine  nuns  of  St.  Anne's  convent  at  Home. 
One,  sister  Octavia  Berneri,  for  more  than  a  year  had 
felt  very  acute  pain  in  her  bosom,  where  a  large  steel 
needle  had  run  in  and  remained.  She  commended 
herself  to  the  venerable  Charles  Sj)inola,  and  the 
needle  came  out  without  effort  or  pain,  and  without 
even  leaving  a  wound.  The  other  nun,  sister  Claudia, 
had  a  cancerous  tumor  on  her  breast.  She  raised 
blood,  and  no  food  would  remain  on  her  stomach. 
Extremely  debilitated,  and  with  no  hope  now  in  phy- 
sicians, she  invoked  the  venerable  Charles  Spinola, 
and  that  very  instant  recovered  her  health. 

I  close  with  a  prodigy  of  another  kind.  In  1663, 
while  the  French  were  besieging  Genoa,  on  the  18th  of 
May,  a  bomb  fell  on  the  Spinola  palace,  penetrating 
to  the  apartment  where  Philip,  Count  of  Tassarolo, 
was.  He  turned,  earnestly,  to  the  portrait  of  the  ven- 
erable Spinola,  w^hicli  hung  on  one  side.  The  shell, 
as  it  burst,  tore  everything  in  the  room  to  pieces,  ex- 
cept the  man  and  the  portrait.  As  to  this  the  Count 
made  a  formal  declaration. 

The  cause  of  the  holy  martyrs  was  terminated ;  there 
remained  but  the  ceremony  of  Beatification.  The 
Catholic  world  was  invited  to  it  as  well  as  to  the  cele- 
bration of  the  eighteenth  centenary  of  the  mart^'rdom 
of  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles.  Five  hundred  bishops 
assembled  at  Home,  with  a  prodigious  number  of 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  215 

priests  and  eminent  laymen,  gathered  from  all  parts 
of  the  world.  It  is  not  our  purpose  to  describe,  as  so 
many  have  done,  the  festivities  that  took  place  on 
that  occasion.  We  will  simply  add  that,  on  the  7th 
of  July,  1867,  Charles  Spinola,  professed  priest  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus,  was  placed  in  the  ranks  of  the 
Blessed,  with  two  hundred  and  four  other  martyrs. 

II. — Bpjef  of  Beatification. 

PIUS    IX.    POPE. 

FOR    A    PERPETUAL    REMEMBRANCE. 

The  Church,  irrigated  with  the  blood  of  martyrs 
from  its  very  commencement,  never  after  ceased  to 
display  wonderful  examples  of  fortitude ;  and,  as  t}'- 
rants  invented  new  modes  of  torture  to  shake  the 
constancy  of  the  soldiers  of  Christ,  they  but  increased 
the  crowns  and  palms  of  the  most  valiant  heroes, to 
the  eternal  glory  of  the  Church.  Nor  was  this  with- 
out a  most  provident  design  of  God,  namely :  to  show 
clearly  that,  in  the  most  terrible  struggle,  Christ  Jesus, 
the  author  of  our  faith,  is  present  from  heaven,  in 
order  as  St.  Cyprian  wrote,  to  confirm  and  sustain  in 
the  strife  his  soldiers  and  the  adherents  of  his  name ; 
to  fight  and  conquer  in  his  servants. 

From  1617  to  1632  Japan  was  fruitful  in  martyrs,  a 
hurricane  of  direst  persecution  raging  against  the  re- 
ligion of  Christ,  which  had  been  happily  introduced 
by  the  heralds  of  the  gospel.  For  after  Taicosama, 
Emperor  of  Japan,  had  raged  with  unheard-of  fury,  to 
extinguish  utterly  the  Christian  name,  and  in  the  year 


216  LIFE    OF   THE 

1597  had  put  to  death  on  the  cross  twenty-six  valiant 
defenders  of  the  true  faith,  his  successors  not  only 
emuhited  his  cruelty  and  rage,  but  even  far  surpassed 
it.  A  law  was  passed  that  no  one  should  succor  or 
harbor  Christians,  and  especially  priests,  under  pen- 
alty of  exile,  confiscation  and  death  ;  the  crosses, 
altars,  churches  and  every  monument  of  our  most 
holy  religion  were,  at  the  word  of  the  herald,  every- 
where thrown  down  and  destroyed.  To  try  the  con- 
stancy of  the  Christians  in  their  faith,  the  most  ex- 
quisite torments  were  employed,  which  the  mind  shud- 
ders to  remember,  still  more  to  describe.  Some  were 
fixed  on  crosses,  and  then  pierced  through  the  side 
with  a  lance  ;  others  crucified  with  their  heads  down  ; 
many  shamefully  mutilated  and  cut  limb  from  limb ; 
many  burnt  by  a  slow  fire  ;  not  a  few,  plunged  in  sul- 
phureous or  freezing  waters,  suffered  a  death  of  fearful 
agony  from  the  prolonged  pain ;  others,  in  fine,  tor- 
tured, consumed  by  hunger,  thirst,  scourges,  the  me- 
phitic  air  of  dungeons,  exchanged  this  mortal  life  for 
one  of  bliss  and  immortality. 

These  atrocious  sufferings  they  bore  with  such  an 
undaunted  and  cheerful  mind,  that  they  revived  all 
the  courage  and  constancy  of  the  early  martyrs  of  the 
Church.  To  use  the  words  of  St.  Cyprian,  "  they 
stood  firmer  than  their  executioners,  nor  could  the 
most  cruel  torments  long  repeated  shake  their  im- 
movable faith."  Nor  was  it  only  priests  and  heralds 
of  the  gospel  doctrine  who  stood  firm  and  courageous 
in  the  contest,  but  persons  of  both  sexes  and  of  every 
condition  ;  most  eminent  nobles,  men  of  royal  blood, 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  217 

noble  matrons,  tender  virgins,  old  men  worn  down  by 
age,  5'ontlis,  boys  and  girls  of  four  years,  so  that  this 
unheard-of  magnanimity  and  constancy  can  be  ex- 
plained only  by  the  aid  of  divine  grace. 

In  this  long  struggle  of  many  years  more  than  a 
thousand  are  recorded  Avho   confirmed  the  Christian 
faith  in  their  blood,  but  inquiry  under  the  Apostol- 
ical authority  could  not  be  made  as  to  all.     In  the 
very  heat  of  the  persecution,  the  necessary  examina- 
tions were  made  only  at  Madrid  in  Spain,  at  Manilla 
in  the  Philippine  islands,  and  at  Macao   in  China. 
Nevertheless  many  credible  witnesses,  questioned  in 
the  usual  form,  gave  testimony  clearly  establishing 
the  truth  of  the  martyrdom  of  two  hundred  and  five 
heroes.     In   this   glorious  army   of   martyrs,  many, 
both  priests  and  lay  brothers,  belong  to  the  religious 
order  of  the  Friars  Preachers  of  St.   Dominic,  the 
most   eminent    being    Alphonsus    Navarrete,  Louis 
Flores,  Angelo  Orsucci,  Francis  de  Morales,  Alphon- 
sus de  Mena,  Dominic  Castellet.     The  religious  or- 
der of  Friars  Minors  of  St.  Francis  glories  in  not  a 
few,  the  most  illustrious  of  whom  are  Peter  of  the 
Assumption,  Peter  de  Avila,  Pilchard  of  St.  Anne, 
Apollinaris  Franco,  Francis  of  St.  Mary,  Anthony  of 
St.  Bonaventure ;  the  religious  order  of  Hermits  of 
St.  Augustine  rejoices  that  many  belonged  to  it,  the 
most  conspicuous  among  them  being  Ferdinand  of 
St.  Joseph,  Peter  de  Zuiiiga,  Bartholomew  Guti:  rrez, 
Yincent  Carvalho.     The  Society  of  Jesus,  too,  is  dec- 
orated with  the   palms  of  its  martyrs,  and  among 
these  stand  forth  Charles  Spinola,  Francis  Pacheco, 
10 


^IS  LIFE   OF   THE 

Camillus  Costanzo,  Paul  Navarro,  Jerome  de  Angelis, 
and  Michael  Carvallio.  Laymen,  companions  in  mar- 
tyrdom followed :  Andrew  Tocuan,  Simon  Quiota,  and 
his  wife  Magdalen ;  Gaspar  Cotenda,  with  his  aunt 
Apollonia  and  Magdalen  Kyota,  all  descended  from 
the  race  of  the  kings  of  Bungo,  Arima  and  Firando  ; 
Anthony  of  Corea  and  his  wife  Mary,  and  their  children 
John,  a  boy  of  twelve  and  Peter,  of  three  ;  Lucy 
Freitas,  an  octogenarian,  and  Dominic  Georgi  with 
his  wife  Elizabeth  Fernandez,  and  their  son  Ignatius, 
a  little  boy  of  four.  Of  this  child  a  most  wonderful 
thing  is  narrated  in  the  acts,  that  being  led  to  the 
place  of  execution  by  the  lictors,  after  beholding  un- 
moved and  without  uttering  a  cry, his  mother's  head 
stricken  off,  as  if  exulting  to  be  united  to  his  mother 
in  the  confession  of  the  faith,  he  offered  his  neck  to 
the  executioner's  sword,  with  all  his  mother's  alac- 
rity, to  the  amazement  of  all  the  multitude  crowded 
around.  The  names  of  the  remaining  martyrs  will 
appear  in  a  schedule  attached  to  these  letters. 

After  the  precious  death  of  the  just  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord,  as  St.  Cyprian  again  writes,  purchasing 
immortality  by  the  price  of  blood  and  receiving  the 
crown  of  consummate  virtue,  the  necessary  steps  were 
immediately  taken  to  examine  the  cause ;  and  the  pro- 
ceedings having  been  carefully  examined  by  the  Car- 
dinals in  the  Sacred  Congregation  of  Rites,  our  pre- 
decessor. Urban  VIIL,  of  happy  memory,  at  the 
instance  of  the  king  of  Spain,  and  the  religious  orders 
already  mentioned  signed  the  letters  authorizing  a 
formal  examination  under  the  Apostolical  authority. 


BLESSED    CHARLES    SPIXOLA.  219 

Accordingly,  the  documents  containing  tlie  juridi- 
cal examination  were  drawn  up  at  Manilla  in  the 
Philippine  islands,  and  at  Macao,  in  China,  and  trans- 
mitted to  Rome.  Then,  by  the  sanction  of  our  pre- 
decessor. Innocent  Xl^r,  a  special  Congregation  of 
Eites  was  held  on  the  20th  of  March,  1677,  in  which 
it  was  determined  that  the  first  question  should  be 
put :  "  Whether  the  martyrdom  was  proved  as  re- 
garded the  tj^rant."  The  question  was  discussed  in 
another  session  of  the  same  congregation,  January  25, 
1687,  and  a  decree  issued  with  the  approval  of  our 
said  predecessor,  that  "  The  martyrdom  in  this  case 
was  proved  so  far  as  regarded  the  tyrant."  The  next 
question  to  be  decided  was  whether  "  The  martyrdom 
was  proved  as  regarded  those  w^ho  suffered."  This 
question,  by  reason  of  the  times  and  other  circum- 
stances, has  remained  undecided  to  these  days.  And 
we  have  said  that  this  has  come  to  pass  most  seasona- 
bly ;  that  in  this  our  age,  deplorable  alike  for  the  re- 
ligious and  civil  commonwealth,  when  the  Catholic 
religion  is  more  violently  and  perfidiously  assailed  by 
abandoned  men,  we  may,  by  proposing  this  signal 
victory  of  Christian  heroes  over  the  tyrant,  prove  the 
divinity  of  our  most  holy  religion  by  a  new  and  con- 
vincing argument,  and  the  Church  justly  rejoices  and 
triumphs  at  the  wonder  of  such  eminent  virtue. 

And,  then,  as  God  in  his  clemency  looks  down 
upon  those  regions  once  steeped  in  the  innocent 
blood  of  the  faithful,  and  opens  an  entrance  there 
closed  for  so  many  years  on  the  heralds  of  the  gos- 
pel, in  order  to  revive  those  abandoned  nations  with 


220  LIFE   OF   THE 

salutary  doctrine,  revolving  this  in  mind,  We,  moved 
by  the  petitions  of  the  said  orders  and  of  the  Vicars 
Apostolic  of  the  countries  bordering  on  Japan,  have 
granted  that  the  long  interrupted  examination  in  this 
cause  should  proceed,  and  adhering  to  the  former 
course  of  judgment,  we  have  selected  a  special  con- 
gregation of  Cardinals,  versed  in  Sacred  Eites,  to 
bring  this  cause  to  a  close  after  an  accurate  scrutiny. 
The  twofold  question  was  accordingly  proposed : 
"  Whether,  the  martyrdom  being  established  so  far  as 
regarded  the  tyrant,  it  was  so  well  established  in  re- 
gard to  those  that  suffered,  that  they  might  proceed 
further."  Also,  what  miracles  or  signs  had  been 
proven.  Both  questions  were  diligently  discussed, 
and  the  Cardinals  and  prelates  present,  ex  officio, '^-gsjwe 
their  opinions ;  nevertheless  we  deferred  confirming 
with  our  supreme  judgment,  until  we  had  earnestly 
prayed  the  Father  of  Light  to  illumine  our  mind  with 
the  rays  of  his  light  in  so  momentous  an  affair.  At 
length,  on  Tuesday  after  Sexagesima,  a  day  when  we 
recall  the  torments  which  Christ,the  Lord  of  the  human 
race,  suffered  for  our  salvation,  we  ordered  a  decree  to 
be  issued  in  these  words  :  "L  The  martyrdom  on  the 
part  of  those  who  suffered  is  so  established  that  they 
may  proceed  to  Beatification.  II.  The  fourth,  twelfth, 
thirteenth  and  fourteenth  miracles  are  established." 

It  only  remained  to  interrogate  the  Cardinals  of  the 
Sacred  Congregation  of  Rites  in  the  usual  form, 
whether  they  deemed  that  we  might  safely  proceed  to 
enroll  the  venerable  servants  of  God  in  the  number 
of  the  Blessed.     Having  assembled  before  us  on  the 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  221 

13tli  of  April,  they,  with  the  concuiTence  of  the  con- 
suitors,  gave  an  affirmative  reply.  Yet,  before  ex- 
pressing our  opinion,  we  still  wished  to  wait  in  order 
to  implore  God,  the  author  of  all,  to  be  propitious  to 
us  in  the  important  matter,  and  finally  on  the  feast 
of  St.  Catharine  of  Sienna,  secondary  patroness  of 
Rome,  we  openly  proclaimed  that  it  was  safe  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  Beatification  of  the  venerable  servants  of 
God. 

Accordingly,  at  the  instance  of  the  said  four  re- 
ligious orders  and  of  the  Apostolic  Yicars  who  watch 
over  the  Christian  flock  in  the  regions  near  Japan, 
by  the  advice  of  our  venerable  brethren,  the  Cardinals 
of  the  Holy  Roman  Church,  having  jurisdiction  over 
lawful  rites, We, by  apostolic  authority,  in  these  letters, 
grant  that  the  venerable  servants  of  God,  Alphonsus 
Navarrete,  Aloysius  Flores,  Angelo  Orsucci,  of  the 
order  of  St.  Dominic,  Peter  de  Avila,  Peter  of  the 
Assumption,  and  Richard  of  St.  Anne,  of  the  Friars 
Minor  of  St.  Francis;  Peter  de  Zuiiiga,  Ferdinand  of 
St.  Joseph,  Bartholomew  Gutierrez,  of  the  order  of 
Hermits  of  St.  Augustine;  Charles  Spinola,  Francis 
Pacheco,  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  ;  Joachim  Firayama 
or  Diaz,  Lucy  Fleites,  and  other  companions  in  mar- 
tyrdom, both  religious  of  said  orders  and  lay  persons, 
be  hereafter  styled  Blessed,  and  their  bodies  and 
relics  be  proposed  to  the  public  veneration  of  the 
faithful,  solemn  supplications  excepted. 

Moreover,  by  our  same  authority  we  permit  that 
the  common  office  and  mass  of  several  martyrs  be 
annually  recited  in  their  honor  on  the  designated  day,  ac- 


222  LIFE    OF   THE 

cording  to  the  rubrics  of  the  Eoman  Missal  and 
Breviary.  We  permit  the  recitation  of  said  office 
in  the  houses  and  churches  of  the  said  four  religious 
orders  by  all  the  faithful,  secular  and  regular,  who 
are  bound  to  recite  the  canonical  hours,  and  in  re- 
gard to  masses,  to  priests  officiating  in  churches  in 
which  the  feast  of  the  Blessed  is  celebrated. 

We  finally  grant  that  within  one  year  from  the  date 
of  these  Letters,  the  solemnity  of  the  Beatification  of 
the  venerable  servants  of  God  be  performed  in  the 
churches  of  the  said  orders  with  office  and  mass  of 
double  rite,  and  command  the  same  to  be  performed 
on  a  day  to  be  appointed  by  the  ordinary,  and  after 
the  celebration  of  said  solemnities  in  our  Vatican 
Basilica,  all  apostolic  constructions,  and  Decrees  of 
noncultus,  and  others  whatever  to  the  contrary  not- 
withstanding. We  wish  the  same  credit  to  be  given 
in  judicial  proceedings  to  printed  copies  of  these 
letters  signed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  said  Con- 
gregation, and  sealed  with  the  seal  of  the  Prefect, 
as  would  be  given  to  our  will  expressed  in  these 
original  letters. 

Given  at  St.  Peter's  at  Eome  under  the  Fisher- 
man's ring,  the  7tli  day  of  May,  1867,  of  our  Ponti- 
ficate the  twenty-first. 

N.  Cardinal  Paracciani  Clarelli. 


COPIE  DU  TABLEAU  EXPOSE  A  S't  PIERRE  DE    ROME. 


Ji)  r  df  \hdame   Paru- 


BIENHEUREUX 
A.r^avaret,  P.  d'Avila.Ch.Spinola, 
P.  Zunioa,  J.  Firavama.Th.Caienda. M^ Tacuaii , 
Eirs^Fernaride;^  et  son  fUs  IgJiace 

et  195  martyrsjaponajs 


BLESSED    CHAKLES   SPIXOLA.  223 


NAMES  OF  THE  TWO  HUNDRED  AND  FIVE 

MARTYRS, 

BEATIFIED  JULY  7,  1867, 

IN    CHRONOLOGICAL    ORDER,    FROM    THE    AUTHENTIC    CATALOGUE 
ANNEXED    TO    THE    BRIEF. 


L— May  22,  1617. 

1.  B.  Peter  of  the  Assumption,  Spanish  priest  of 
the  order  of  St.  Francis. 

^  2.  B.  John  Baptist  Machaclo  cle  Tavora,  Portuguese 
priest  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  beheaded. 

The  former  was  betrayed  by  a  false  brotlier  who  enticed  him  to 
his  house  under  the  pretext  of  converting  a  repentant  apostate.  The 
latter  was  arrested  in  the  island  de  Goto  while  hearing  confessions. 
They  cheerfully  and  piously  spent  their  last  days  in  the  Omura 
prison,  and  were  beheaded  near  it.  Father  Machado  was  only  thirty- 
seven.  Born  in  the  island  of  Terceira,  one  of  the  Azores,  he  entered 
the  Society  of  Jesus  at  an  early  age,  and  according  to  the  statement 
of  his  superiors  led  an  angelic  life.  Bartoli  relates  several  miracles 
wrought  by  his  intercession. 

II.— June,  1617.^ 

3.   B.   Alphonsus  Navarrete,   Spanish  Dominican 
priest 


224  •  LIFE    OF   THE 

4.  B.  Ferdinand  of  St.  Joseph,  Spanish  Augusti- 
nian  priest. 

5.  Leo  Tanaca,  Father  Machado's  Catechist ;  be- 
headed. 

After  tlie  martyrdom  of  the  preceding,  B.  Alplionsus,  impelled  by 
divine  inspiration,  resumed  his  religious  habit,  left  Nagasaki,  and 
going  to  Omura,  devoted  himself  openly  to  the  ministry  with  B.  Fer- 
dinand. They  were  arrested  with  B.  Leo  and  beheaded  on  a  desert 
rock  far  from  spectators.  B.  Alplionsus  was  fifty-two,  and  had  been 
six  years  in  Japan. 

III.— October  1,  1617. 

6.  B.  Gaspar  Fisogiro.  7.  B.  Andrew  Gioscinda, 
hosts  of  the  preceding. 

IV.— August  16,  1618. 

8.  John  of  St.  Martha,  Spanish  Franciscan  priest, 
beheaded. 

This  zealous  missionary  was  confined  three  years  in  prison  with 
criminals,  then  put  to  death  at  Meaco. 

Y.— Maech  19,  1619. 

9.  B.  John  of  St.  Dominic,  Spanish  Dominican 
priest.  Died  of  illtreatment  in  the  Omura  prison. 
See  p.  166. 

YL— November  18,  1619. 

10.  B.  Leonard  Kimura,  Japanese  Jesuit  lay  brother. 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPINOLA.  225 

11.  B.  Andrew  Tocuan,  Japanese.  12.  B.  Cosmas 
Taquea,  Corean.  13.  B.  John  Xoum,  Japanese. 
11.  B.  Dominic  Giorgi,  Portuguese ;  burnt  alive. 

B,  Leonard  was  an  excellent  coadjutor  of  the  Fathers,  acting  in 
cases  of  necessity  as  missionary.  B.  Dominic  was  F.  Spinola*8  host. 
The  other  three  had  also  harbored  priests.  After  a  long  imprison- 
ment at  Nagasaki,  they  were  brought  before  Gonroc  and  condemned 
to  the  stake.  They  heard  the  sentence  with  holy  joy.  "  See,"  said 
B.  Leonard  to  the  spectators,  "it  is  for  practising  and  preaching  the 
law  of  God  that  I  am  condemned."  "  I  am  happier,"  said  B.  Dominic, 
"  than  if  they  gave  me  the  empire  of  Japan."  Their  martyrdom  was 
a  prelude  to  the  Great  Martyrdom.  It  took  place  on  the  same  prom- 
ontory and  in  presence  of  an  immense  crowd.  B.  Leonard  seemed 
to  sport  with  the  fire.  "  It  hardly  burns,"  he  said,  and  made  signs 
to  have  it  pushed  nearer  his  body.  They  were  entirely  consumed, 
except  a  few  bones  which  were  cast  into  the  sea. 

VII.— November  29,  1619. 

15.  B.  Bartholomew  Xequi.  16.  B.  Anthony  Kim- 
ura.  17.  B.  John  Ivananga.  18.  B.  Alexis  Naca- 
mura.  19.  B.  Leo  Nacanisci.  20.  B.  Michael  Tascita. 
21.  B.  Mathias  Cazaca.  22.  B.  Bomanus  Matevoca, 
23.  B.  Matthias  Nacano.  21.  B  .  John  Montaiana. 
25.  B.  Thomas  Cotenda  ;  all  Japanese  ;  beheaded. 

Twelve  Japanese  Christians  were  arrested  for  residing  near  mis- 
sionaries. Their  life  and  property  were  offered  as  the  price  of  apos- 
tacy.  One  fell.  The  rest  went  to  the  stake  on  the  Sacred  Mount,  in 
holiday  garb.  B.  Thomas  Cotenda,  a  relative  of  the  king  of  Firando, 
had  long  led  a  holy  life.  B.  Anthony  Kimura  was  a  brother  of  B. 
Leonard  (No.  10). 


10^- 


226  LIFE   OF   THE 


VIII.— January  7,  1620. 

26.  B.  Ambrose  Fernandez,  Portuguese  Jesuit,  lay 
brother. 

Companion  of  B.  Spinola,  died  in  prison.     See  p.  166. 


IX.— May  22,  1620. 

27.  B.  Mathias  of  Arima,  Japanese  Catecliist,  tor- 
tured to  death. 

Tins  excellent  Catecliist  was  specially  attached  to  the  service  of 
Father  de  Couros,  provincial  of  the  Jesuits.  During  the  persecution 
he  readily  went  on  dangerous  errands.  "  If  you  are  taken,"  they  said 
one  day,  "  will  you  keep  your  secrets."  "  They  may  tear  off  my 
flesh  and  break  my  bones  before  they  make  me  reveal  anything  to 
injure  the  Fathers."  He  was  true  to  his  word.  Caught  with  a  vest- 
ment in  his  hands,  he  was  put  to  the  torture.  The  usual  applications 
extorting  nothing,  he  was  forced  to  swallow  large  quantities  of  water, 
which  was  then  forced  out  by  pressing  violently  on  his  stomach.  As 
they  were  about  to  renew  this  torture,  he  said :  "  Let  me  breathe,  I 
will  inform  of  one  worth  ten,  a  priest  from  Europe,  from  Rome,  the 
Christian  Meaco."  "Who?  Where  f  "  He  is  at  Fir  an  do,  and  is 
called  Thomas  Araki ;"  naming  a  Japanese  priest  or  ecclesiastic  who 
had  really  been  at  Rome,  but  had  apostatized.  "  Treat  him  as  you 
wish  to  treat  good  priests,"  he  added  smiling,  "  for  I  will  never 
betray  one  of  them."  On  this  they  attacked  him  so  furiously,  that 
when  they  wished  to  drag  him  to  execution  he  was  a  corpse. 

X.— August  16,  1620. 

28.  B.  Simon  Quiota.  29.  B.  Magdalen,  his  wife. 
30.  B.  Thomas  Guengoro.  31.  B.  Marj,  his  wife. 
32.  B.  James,  their  son ;  crucified. 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  227 

B.  Simon  was  an  old  Catechist  of  the  Jesuits  in  the  kingdom  of 
Bungo,  a  holy  old  man  whose  supernatural  power  was  often  attested 
by  the  possessed.  He  was  at  Cocura,  capital  of  the  kingdom  of 
Bugen,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  island  of  Ximo,  with  his  friend 
B.  Thomas  and  their  families,  all  fervent  Christians  when  Gietciun- 
dono,  the  tyrant  of  that  district,  gave  them  the  alternative,  apostasy 
or  death.     They  were  all  crucified,  head  down. 

XI.— August  10,  1622. 

33.  B.  Augustine  Ota,  Japanese  Jesuit,  lay  brother ; 

beheaded. 

He  was  taken  with  F.  Camillus  Costanzo  and  B.  Gaspar  Cotenda, 
and  taken  to  the  prison  at  Ichi  in  Firando,  where  B.  Flores  and  B. 
Zufiiga  were  already.  To  reward  his  untiring  zeal  he  was  ad- 
mitted into  the  Society  of  Jesus  on  the  eve  of  his  martyrdom  ;  and 
by  a  remarkable  protection,  of  aU  the  letters  addressed  by  the  pro- 
vincial to  the  prisoners  at  Ichi  only  that  containing  the  admission 
of  this  brother  reached  the  place. 

XII.— August  19,  1622. 

34.  B.  Louis  Flores,  a  Belgian  Dominican  priest. 

35.  B.  Peter  de  Zuniga,  a  Mexican  Augustinian  priest. 

36.  B.  Joachim  Firaiama,  Japanese,  burned  alive. 

They  were  burned  alive  on  the  Sacred  Mount  after  seeing  their 
companions  beheaded ;  but  by  an  unexpected  indulgence  Gonroc 
permitted  the  Christians  to  carry  off  the  bodies.  That  of  B.  Flores 
was  first  deposited  in  the  house  of  a  widow,  where  the  Dominicans 
habitually  officiated,  then  translated  to  the  Dominican  Church  at 
Manilla.  That  of  B.  Zuniga  was  sold  by  the  executioners  at  a  high 
price  to  Don  Martin  Govea,  a  noble  Portuguese,  who  transported  it 
to  Macao,  where  it  was  placed  in  the  Church  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus. 

B.  Peter  de  Zuniga,  sou  of  Don  Alvaro  de  Zuniga,  sixth  viceroy  of 


228  LIFE    OF    THE 

Mexico,  and  Dofia  Teresa,  marcliioness  of  Villamarina,  was  born  in 
1585.  He  had  labored  in  the  Philippines  as  a  zealous  missionary 
for  ten  years.     As  to  his  arrival  in  Japan,  see  p.  183. 

B.  Flores  was  a  Belgian  :  his  real  name  being  Fraryn.  The 
Fraryn  family  Avas  from  Ath,  but  had  been  long  at  Antwerp,  oc- 
cupying the  house  on  the  corner  of  the  Rue  aux  Laines  and  the  Rue 
de  la  Vigne.  At  a  very  early  age  he  went  to  Spain,  and  thence  to 
Mexico,  where  he  entered  the  order  of  St.  Dominic.  His  change  of 
name  was  doubtless  made  to  adapt  himself  to  those  among  whom  he 
lived.  Authors  differ  as  to  his  age.  Father  Boero  makes  him  sixty, 
but  he  is  certainly  wrong  as  to  his  birthplace.  Father  Malpeus  of 
Brussels,  in  his  Palma  Fidei  Sacri  Ordinis  Fratrum  Proedicatorum, 
does  not  give  his  age.  He  says  he  was  successively  an  untiring 
laborer  and  a  master  of  noviccp,  which  implies  a  period  of  several 
years.  Father  Masetti  in  his  Italian  Life  of  B.  Flores,  citing 
Aduarte,  Historia  de  la  Provincia  del  S.  Rosario  de  Filippines,  Japan 
y  China,  states  that  in  16Q9,  B.  Flores  was  exercising  the  ministry 
in  New  Segovia  in  the  Philippines.  However,  a  Register  of  the 
Cathedral  of  Antwerp  notes  the  birth  of  Louis,  son  of  John  Fraryn- 
Jacommine  Malders,  apparently  our  Saint,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1589 
This  woflld  make  him  only  thirty-three  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Joachim  Firaiama  was  the  captain  whose  zeal  was  rewarded  by 
his  being  burned  alive  with  the  missionaries  whom  he  was  convey- 
ing. His  noble  character  never  wavered.  On  his  way  from  the 
prison  to  the  stake,  he  exhorted  all  present,  repeating  in  Japanese 
what  the  missionaries  whispered  in  Spanish.  On  reaching  the  place 
of  execution  he  observed  that  the  stake  to  which  he  was  to  be  bound 
was  loose ;  with  perfect  calmness  and  simplicity  he  set  it  firm. 
Even  amid  the  flames  he  continued  to  exhort  all  present  and  pray 
aloud. 

37.  B.  Leo  Sucheiemon.  88.  B.  Jolm  Foriamon. 
39.  B.  Michael  Diaz.  40.  B.  Mark  Xinsiemon.  41. 
B.  Thomas  Goran agui.  42.  B.  Anthony  Giamanda. 
43.  B.  James  Densci.  44.  B.  Lawrence  Rocuiemon. 
45.  B.  Paul  Sanciqni.     46.  B.  John  lago.      47.  Bar- 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  229 

tliolomew  Mofioie.     48.  B.  John  Nangata — Japanese  ; 
beheaded. 

They  were  compromised  witli  the  last,  either  as  passengers  or 
sailors.  Gonroc  and  the  renegade  Feizo  endeavored,  but  in  vain,  to 
induce  them  to  apostatize. 


September  10,  1622. — The  Great  Martyrdom. 

49.  B.  Francis  Morales,  Spanish  Dominican  priest : 
burned  alive. 

He  had  been,  for  twenty  years,  a  missionary  of  untiring  zeal  in 
Japan.  He  built  two  churches  in  the  kingdom  of  Satzuma,  and  a 
church  and  convent  at  Fuscimi,  in  the  kingdom  of  Figen. 

50.  B.  Angelo  Orsucci,  an  Italian  Dominican  priest, 
burned  aUve. 

He  was  born  at  Lucca,  entered  the  order  in  his  youth  and  lived 
with  the  reputation  of  a  saint.  He  died  at  the  age  of  forty-nine, 
having  been  four  years  at  prison  in  Omura  with  his  friend  Father 
Spinola. 

51.  B.  Alplionsus  de  Mena.  52.  B.  Joseph  of  St. 
Hyacinth.  53.  B.  Hyacinth  Orfanel  —  Spaniards, 
priests  of  the  order  of  St.  Dominic ;  burned  alive. 

The  first  resembled  his  cousin  B.  Navarrete  in  his  ardor ;  the  sec- 
ond, by  his  eloquence  and  devotion  to  Mary,  exercised  great  influ- 
ence ;  the  third,  by  his  charity,  was  the  refuge  of  the  unfortunate. 

54.  B.  Alexis.  55.  B.  Thomas.  56.  B.  Dominic — 
Japanese. 

They  had  been  catechists  to  the  Dominicans,  but  in  the  prison 
were  admitted  to  religious  profession.  Alexis  was  burned  ;  the 
other  two,  for  want  of  stakes,  were  beheaded.  During  the  trial,  the 
governor,  struck   by  the  beauty  of  Thomas  and  his  innocent  air, 


230  LIFE   OF   THE 

wliicli  gave  a  charm  to  his  whole  person,  advised  him  to  deny  that 
he  knew  the  missionaries.  "  How  could  I  say  that,"  replied  the 
candid  Thomas,  "  without  oflPending  God  by  a  lie  ?" 

57.  B.  Richard  of  St.  Anne,  a  Belgian  priest  of  the 
order  of  St.  Francis ;  burned  alive. 

This  holy  martyr  was  born  in  1585  at  Ham-sur-Heure,  of  a  wor- 
thy family  called  Trouvez,  but  having  been  in  childhood  delivered 
from  the  jaws  of  a  wolf  by  the  intercession  of  St.  Anne,  whom  his 
mother  invoked,  he  took  the  name  of  his  protectress. 

In  1604  he  was  received  into  the  Recollect  convent  of  Nivelles, 
and  after  many  wanderings  landed  at  the  Philippines  in  1611.  He 
was  only  a  lay  brother,  but  was  then  from  his  virtue  and  talents 
applied  to  his  studies  and  received  holy  orders.  He  was  eight 
years  in  Japan,  always  courageous  and  devoted.  One  day  he  was 
warned  to  hide  at  once  if  he  wished  to  escape  the  persecutors.  Sev- 
eral Christians  were  waiting  for  him,  at  tlie  house  of  Lucy  Freitas, 
to  make  their  confessions,  and  he  would  not  abandon  them.  He 
remained,  was  captured,  imprisoned  for  a  year,  and  shared  the  tri- 
umph of  his  companions. 

58.  B.  Peter  de  Avila,  Spanish  priest.  59.  B.  Vin- 
cent of  St.  Joseph,  lay  brothers  of  the  order  of  St. 
Francis. 

After  a  life  spent  in  gaining  souls  to  Christ,  B.  Peter  underwent 
two  years'  imprisonment  and  the  stake,  B.  Vincent  had  been  the 
companion  of  his  missionary  labors. 

60.  B.  Charles  Spinola,  S.  J. 

61.  B.  Sebastian  Kimura,  Japanese  priest  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus ;  burned  alive. 

This  excellent  missionary  was  a  nephew  of  the  first  Japanese  bap- 
tized by  St.  Francis  Xavier,  and  cousin  of  B.  Leonard  Kimura,  An- 
thony Kimura  and  Mary  Tocuan,  the  whole  family  having  been  ap- 
parently blessed  in  its  head.     Sebastian  was  the  most  illustrious. 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  231 

He  Avas  the  first  Japanese  priest,  having  been  ordained  at  Nagasaki 
by  Bishop  Louis  Cerqueira  in  IGOl,  an^,  of  all  the  Japanese  priests, 
he  was  the  first  to  receive  the  crown  of  martyrdom.  Born  at  Fi- 
rando,  of  Christian  parents,  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Church  at 
twelve,  was  educated  at  the  seminary  of  Bungo,  and  entered  the 
Society  of  Jesus  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  After  his  novitiate  he  was 
sent  to  instruct  neophytes  ;  he  completed  his  studies  at  Macao,  and 
on  becoming  a  priest  displayed  the  highest  qualities  of  his  nation, 
without  their  defects.  In  the  prison  and  at  the  stake  he  was  worthy 
of  B.  Spinola.     He  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven. 

62.  B.  Gonsalvo  Fusai.  63.  B.  Anthony  Chiuni. 
64.  B.  Peter  Sampo.  65.  B.  Micliael  Xumpo.  66. 
B.  John  Cioncogu.  67.  B.  John  Acafosci.  68.  B. 
Louis  Cavara,  Japanese  Jesuits. 

These  are  the  seven  Japanese  admitted  by  B.  Spinola  to  their  no- 
vitiate and  then  to  their  first  vows  in  the  Society  of  Jesus  (see  page 
169).  They  were  tried  Christians,  most  of  them  renouncing  great 
worldly  advantages  to  consecrate  themselves  to  the  service  of  the 
Church.  The  Sampo  family  held  a  high  rank  in  the  kingdom  of 
Oxu,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  island  of  Niphon.  Thomas  Acafosci 
had  been  a  brilliant  oflBcer  before  he  became  a  zealous  catechist  of 
Father  Kimura.  Gonsalvo  Fusai  had  played  a  conspicuous  part  at 
the  court  of  Bigen,  as  Louis  Cavara  had  at  Arima. 

69.  B.  Leo  cle  Satzuma,  Japanese,  of  the  order  of 
St.  Francis. 

This  catecliist  of  Father  Richard  of  St.Anne,  on  learning  that  the 
missionary  was  arrested,  went  and  gave  himself  up,  so  as  to  share 
his  fate. 

70.  B.  Lucy  de  Freitas,  Japanese  widow ;  burned 
alive. 

This  illustrious  widow  was  a  model  of  all  virtues.  She  was  a 
Japanese,  but  married  Philip  de  Freitas,  a  Portuguese.  Pious  from 
childhood  she  sanctified  her  years  of  widowhood  by  rigorous  aus- 


232  LIFE    OF    THE 

terity  and  Tieroic  acts  of  cliarity.  Her  house  was  open  to  the  per- 
secuted missionaries.  One  day  learning  that  the  apostate  Feizo 
sought  to  seduce  a  Christian,  she  ran  to  the  spot  and  publicly  re- 
proached him  bitterly  with  his  conduct.  As  the  wretched  man 
sought  to  intimidate  her  by  threats,  she  seized  the  sword  of  a  by- 
stander ;  she  handed  it  to  him,  saying :  "  Strike,  and  do  what  you 
will  with  me."  When  condemned  to  death  for  harboring  Father 
Richard  she  drew  forth  the  crucifix  she  wore  on  her  bosom  and  ex- 
claimed :  "  I  will  cheerfully  die  for  my  God."  At  the  age  of  eighty 
she  bore  the  torture  of  fire  with  admirable  courage. 

71,  72.  B.  Anthony  Sanga  and  Magdalen  his  wife, 
Japanese. 

Of  noble  birth  and  highly  educated,  Anthony  had  entered  the  no- 
vitiate of  the  Jesuits,  but  was  compelled  by  ill  health  to  retire.  But 
he  devoted  himself  with  his  wife  to  all  good  works.  He  was  a  good 
and  zealous  catechist.  Just  before  his  death  he  wrote  a  very  touch- 
ing letter  to  the  Provincial  of  the  Jesuits.  Unable  to  call  himself  a 
son,  he  calls  himself  the  slave  of  the  Society,  to  which  he  owed  all 
that  he  was.  "  I  have  united  with  its  labors,  as  far  as  I  could  ;  and 
since  my  imprisonment  I  have  baptized  thirty-two  heathens,  taught 
the  prayers  to  a  great  many  and  encouraged  my  fellow-prisoners. 
All  this  I  owe  to  the  Society  which  instructed  and  formed  me,  as  it 
prepared  me  for  the  death  that  now  awaits  me.  .  .  -  .  Only  one 
thing  affects  me — the  recollection  of  my  leaving  the  Society.   I  seem 

to  myself  like  Adam  driven  from  the  earthly  Paradise Why 

can  I  not  in  death  become  again  your  brother  ?  but  as  this  is  impos- 
sible, receive  me  at  least  as  your  most  devoted  slave." 

His  wife  was  beheaded,  as  were  most  of  the  other  martyrs  of  this 
day.  Of  those  whose  names  are  now  given  little  is  known,  except 
of  Elizabeth  Fernandez  and  little  Ignatius. 

73.  B.  Anthony,  a  Corean,  catechist  under  the 
Jesuits.  74.  B.  Mary  his  wife,  a  Japanese.  75,  76. 
B.  John  and  Peter  their  children,  aged  twelve  and 
three.  77.  B.  Paul  Nangasci,  Japanese,  burned  alive. 
78.  B.  Thecla,  his  wife.     79.  B.  Peter  (seven  years 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  233 

old),  their  child.  80.  B.  Paul  Tanaca,  a  Japanese. 
81.  B.  Mary  his  wife.  82.  B.  Elizabeth  Fernandez, 
■wife  of  the  martyr  Dominic  Giorgi.  83.  B.  Ignatius, 
their  child,  aged  four  (see  p.  206).  84.  B.  Apollonias, 
widow,  aunt  of  B.  Gaspar  Cotenda.  85,  86.  B.B. 
Dominic  Xamada  and  Clara  his  wife,  Japanese.  87. 
B.  Mary,  wife  of  B.  Andrew  Tocuan,  Japanese.  88. 
B.  Agnes,  wife  of  B.  Cosmas  Taquea,  Japanese.  89. 
B.  Dominic  Tacano,  son  of  B.  Mathias  Tacano.  90. 
B.  Bartholomew  Xichiemon.  91,  92.  B.  B.  Damian 
Jamichi  and  his  son  Michael  (five  years  old).  93.  B. 
B.  Thomas  Xiquiro  (aged  seventy).  94.  B.  Kufus 
Iscomola.  95.  B.  Mary,  wife  of  B.  John  Xoum.  96, 
97.  B.  B.  Clement  Vom  and  his  son  Anthony.  98. 
B.  Dominica  Ongata.  99.  B.  Catharine,  a  widow 
100.  B.  Mary  Tanaura — all  Japanese. 


XIY.— Septej^iber  11,  1622. 

101.  B.  Gaspar  Cotenda,  catechist  under  F.  Camil- 
lus  Costanzo,  S.  J. 

102.  B.  Francis,  aged  twelve,  son  of  B.  Cosmas 
Taquea.  103.  B.  Peter,  aged  seven,  son  of  B.  Bar- 
tholomew Xichiemon. 

B.  Gaspar,  of  the  family  of  the  kings  of  Firando,  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  Pious  and  well  educated,  he  was  just  about  to  enter 
the  Society  of  Jesus.  B.  Peter  was  to  have  been  put  to  death  with 
his  father,  but  was  overlooked  in  the  confusion.  The  next  day 
the  judge,  out  of  pity,  wished  to  make  the  boy  say  he  had  run  away : 
"  Not  at  all,"  replied  the  little  martyr,  "  I  saw  that  nobody  took  any 
notice  of  me,  so  I  went  home."  Threats  had  no  avail.  "  I  am  ready 
to  die,"  said  he,  "  for  some  Fathers  of  the  Society  appeared  to  me 


234  LIFE   OF   THE 

and  encouraged  me  to  die  for  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  answer  freely  as 
I  do."  Then  these  martyrs  were  taken  to  the  sacred  mountain,  still 
covered  with  the  bodies  and  blood  of  the  victims  of  the  10th.  Un- 
dismayed, they  joyfully  mingled  their  blood  with  that  of  their  pre- 
decessors. Their  bodies  were  beheaded,  then  reduced  to  ashes,  and 
these  scattered  to  the  winds. 


XY.— September  12,  1622. 

104.  B.  Thomas  Zumarraga,  Spanisli  priest.  105. 
B.  Mancio  of  St.  Thomas,  Japanese.  106.  B.  Dom- 
inic, Japanese — all  of  the  order  of  St.  Dominic.  107. 
B.  ApoUinaris  Franca,  Spanish  priest.  108.  B.  Fran- 
cis of  St.  Bonaventura,  Japanese.  109.  B.  Peter  of 
St.  Clare,  Japanese — all  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis. 

After  the  great  execution  of  September  10,  Gonroc  considered 
himself  as  the  special  minister  of  the  Emperor  to  execute  prompt 
and  terrij^le  justice  on  all  religious.  He  accordingly  sent  his  lieu- 
tenant to  Omura,  to  burn  at  the  stake  all  who  still  remained  in 
prison.  Their  suffering  was  like  that  of  those  burned  at  the  Great 
Martyrdom,  but  more  prolonged.  The  two  Spanish  Fathers  con- 
ducted each  his  two  disciples,  and  all  died  worthy  of  their  aposto- 
late.  Four  others,  Paul  and  Mathias  Faiaci,  John  Iquenda  and  Leo 
Suquiemon,  executed  at  the  same  time,  are  not  included  in  the  Brief 
of  Beatification  from  want  of  judicial  proofs. 


XVI.— September  15,  1622. 

110.  B.  Camillas  Costanzo,  priest  of  Society  of 
Jesiis ;  burned  alive. 

He  was  born  in  Calabria  and  first  served  in  Prince  Albert's  army, 
and  was  at  the  siege  of  Ostend.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  became  a 
Jesuit,  retaining  all  the  energy  of  his  first  vocation.    He  labored 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  235 

usefully  in  the  kingdom  of  Bugen  from  1005  to  1614  ;  he  then  re- 
turned to  Macao,  where  he  wrote  a  Japanese  treatise  against  the 
Bonzes.  For  the  last  year  he  had,  as  an  apostle,  traversed  all  the 
western  part  of  Japan,  especially  the  islands  depending  on  the  king 
of  Firando. 

The  inconsiderate  zeal  of  a  Japanese  lady  led  to  his  arrest.     Anx- 
ious to  convert  her  husband  Soiemon,  a  judicial  officer  in  the  island 
of  Ikitsuki,  she  said  :   ''  Who  knows  when  we  shaU  have  so  favor- 
able an  opportunity  again— the  blessing  of  hearing  a  holy  religious? 
Soiemon  astonished,  pretended  to  acquiesce  in  his  wife's  desire,  and 
soon  learned  the  missionary's  retreat  and  his  harborers.     This  was 
all  he  sought.     B.  Camillus  was  arrested  on  the  24th  of  April,  1623, 
in  the  island  of  Ucu.     His  trial  at  Firaudo,  imprisonment  in  the 
island  of  Ikinoscima.  and  finally  his  martyrdom  near  Firando,  were 
a  repetition  of  those  of  B.  Spinola.     But  Father  Costanzo  displayed, 
especially  amid  the  flames,  an  exultation  unexampled  even  in  the 
annals  of  this  persecution.     Before  a  great  number   of  Catholics, 
pagans,  and  even  Dutch  and  English  Protestants,  he  resolutely  en- 
tered the  place  of  execution  and  marched  up  to  liis  stake.     Thence, 
as  from  a  pulpit,  he  began  to  address  the  spectators.     "  1  am,"  he 
said,  "  Camillus  Costanzo,  an  Italian,  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.     I  am 
going  to  be  burnt  alive  for  preaching  the  law  of  the  true  God.  . 
We  are  not  to  fear  temporal  but  eternal  death,  .  .  .  There  is  not 
means  of  avoiding  that  woe  except  to  embrace  the  law  of  Jesus 
Christ.'     While  he  thus  preached  the  flames  rose  and  concealed 
him  from  the  spectators.     A  moment  after  they  beheld  him  mo- 
tionless, his  eyes  raised  to  heaven,  in  a  sort  of  extasy.     Suddenly  he 
intoned  the  psalm  Laudate  Dominum,  pronounced  some  words  of 
exhortation,  and,  what  seemed  really  prodigious,  uttered  exclama- 
tions of  joy,  and  seemed  transfigured  with  a  heavenly  radiance ; 
finally,  with  a  voice  that  was  heard  afar  he  chanted  Sanctus,  sanc- 
tus,  and  repeating  for  the  fifth  time  this  homage  of  the  Seraphim, 
he  bowed  his  head  and  expired.    The  testimony  to  these  facts  is 
abundant,  and  they  produced  an  incalculable  impression. 


236  LIFE   OF   THE 


XYII.— October  %  1622. 

111.  B  Louis  Giaciqni,  Japanese — burned  alive. 
112.  B.  Lucy  Lis  wife.  113.  Their  sons,  B.  Andrew, 
aged  eight,  and  B.  Francis,  four  years — beheaded. 

B.  Giaciqui  was  tlie  one  wlio  planned  tlie  escape  of  B,  Father 
Flores.  He  was  put  to  the  torture  to  learn  the  names  of  his  accom- 
plices, but  he  showed  unshaken  courage.  His  wife  and  children 
preferring  death  to  apostasy,  were  first  beheaded  before  his  eyes. 

XVIIL— November  1,  1622. 

115.  B.  Peter  Paul  Navarro,  Italian,  priest.  116, 
117.  B.  B.  Denis  Fugiscima  and  Peter  Onizuki,  scho- 
lastics of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  118.  B.  Clement,  a 
Japanese  in  the  service  of  F.  Navarro. 

B.  Navarro,  countryman  and  friend  of  Father  Costanzo,  had  la- 
bored successfully  in  Japan  for  thirty-six  years,  when  he  obtained 
the  martyr's  crown.  He  was  discovered  and  arrested  with  his  three 
companions  at  Arima,  where  Bungodono  had  succeeded  the  apostate 
Michael.  This  prince  was  not  then  such  as  he  subsequently  ap- 
peared. He  treated  Father  Navarro  with  great  humanity,  and  even 
desired  to  save  him,  but  had  to  comply  with  the  orders  of  Xongun 
and  Gonroc.  The  execution  was  fixed  for  the  first  of  November. 
On  the  morning  of  All  Saints,  by  the  personal  favor  of  the  prince, 
B.  Navarro  was  permitted  to  celebrate  Mass  and  receive  the  vows  by 
which  B.  B.  Peter  and  Denis  became  members  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  as  well  as  address  a  last  exhortation  to  the  sobbing  Christians. 
This  took  place  at  Scimabara,  a  city  lying  on  a  gulf  of  that  name. 
The  stakes  were  erected  on  a  promontory  stretching  far  out  into  the 
sea.  There,  before  the  eyes  of  a  vast  concourse,  the  four  confessors 
underwent  tiia  fiery  ordeal  with  heroic  fortitude. 


BLESSED    CHARLES    SPINOLA.  237 


XIX.— December  4,  1623. 

119.  B.  Francis  Galvez,  a  Spanish  priest  of  the  or- 
der of  St.  Francis.  120.  B.  Jerome  de  Angelis,  an  Ita- 
lian priest.  121.  B.  Simon  Jempo,  a  Japanese— both 
of  the  Societ}^  of  Jesus. 

On  arriving  in  Japan  Father  de  Angelis,  so  long  tlie  companion 
of  FatLer  Spinola,  was  sent  north  and  penetrated  to  kingdoms 
hitherto  unapproached.  He  was  in  Jedo,  the  new  capital  of  Japan, 
when  Zongun  II.  succeeded  his  father  and  renewed  the  edicts  against 
the  Christians  with  many  threats  and  promises.  On  the  informa- 
tion of  an  apostate,  Father  Jerome's  host  was  arrested.  The  brave 
man  refused  to  give  any  information,  but  the  missionary,  in  hopes 
of  saving  his  host,  gave  himself  up.  His  catechist,  B.  Simon 
Jempo,  refusing  to  abandon  his  master,  followed  his  example. 
Some  days  later,  B.  Francis  Galvez,  a  Franciscan  missionary,  was 
discovered  and  added  to  the  two  Jesuits.  The  confessors  con- 
tinued their  labors  even  in  prison,  converting  and  baptizing  forty 
pagans. 

Many  Christians  were  arrested  at  the  same  time,  and  were  held 
subject  to  Xongun's  decision  on  his  return  from  his  coronation  at 
Meaco.  "Let  them  be  all  burned  alive,"  was  the  summary  sentence 
of  the  prince  ;  ard  fifty  Christians  underwent  this  torture  in  a  plain 
without  Jedo.  The  two  religious  and  John  Faramondb,  a  gentle- 
man, were  reserved  to  the  last ;  they  used  the  delay  to  address,  in 
words  of  salvation,  the  spectators  who  crowded  from  the  capital, 
then  cheerfully  laid  down  their  lives  to  confirm  their  assertions.  The 
tyrant  himself  took  care  to  establish  the  motive  of  their  execution. 
A  placard  bore  the  following  :  "  These  men  are  punished  with  death 
because  they  are  Christians."  However,  for  want  of  juridical  state- 
ments, only  three  of  the  fifty  martyrs  are  beatified.  The  bodies 
were,  as  usual,  carefully  guarded,  but  some  Christians  succeeded  in 
carrying  oflf  the  head  of  Father  de  Angelis,- which  was  conveyed  to 
Nagasaki  and  thence  to  Macao. 


238  LIFE  OF   THE 

XX.— Februaky,  22, 162i. 

122.  James  Carvallio,  Portuguese,  priest  of  tlie  So- 
ciety of  Jesuits,  frozen  to  death. 

While  tlie  Christians  were  thus  treated,  Masamune,  King  of  Oxu, 
was  at  the  court  of  Jedo.  Hitherto  he  had  shown  an  inclination  to 
the  Christian  faith,  and  liad  sent  an  embassy  to  Europe  ;  but,  led 
away  by  the  emperor's  example,  he  ordered  the  governor  of  Scendai, 
his  capital,  to  bunt  down  the  Christians,  and  put  all  to  death  who 
refused  to  apostatize.  Twenty-three  suffered,  but  the  necessary  in- 
formation could  be  obtained  only  as  to  the  most  illustrious  of  tliem, 
B.  James  Carvalho.  This  worthy  missionary  had  spent  his  best 
years  in  Japan  ;  after  establishing  a  mission  at  Cochin  China,  during 
his  exile,  he  returned  to  Japan  and  joined  B,  Jerome  de  Angelis  in 
his  laborious  northern  mission.  Trgfcked  by  Masamune's  emissaries, 
Carvalho,  warned  of  the  danger,  retired,  with  sixty  Christians,  far 
from  all  abodes,  in  a  valley,  hidden  away  in  the  mountains.  They 
would  probably  have  eluded  pursuit,  except  for  their  footprints  in 
the  snow,  which  guided  the  persecutors.  As  soon  as  the  holy  mis- 
sionary saw  that  he  was  discovered,  he  went  forward  to  meet  them, 
and  thus  gave  a  number  of  Christians  time  to  scatter  and  escape. 

The  prisoners  were  led  to  Scendai,  through  the  snow-bloclved  roads 
and  the  bitter  cold.  Two  old  men.  unable  to  keep  up,  were  killed 
by  the  guard.  At  the  capital  an  entirely  new  punishment  was  de- 
vised for  the  rest.  A  river  flowed  at  the  foot  of  the  fortress.  On  its 
banks  a  hole,  several  feet  square,  was  dug,  and  filled  with  water 
from  the  river.  Here  the  Father,  with  eight  companions,  was  ex- 
posed, naked,  to  the  torture  of  ice- water,  amid  the  railleries  and  jeer- 
ing exhortations  of  the  pagans.  After  the  lapse  of  three  hours,  when 
their  limbs  were  numbed,  they  were,  by  order  of  the  court,  taken 
out.  It  was  supposed  that  this  first  torture  would  make  them  more 
compliant.  As  the  holy  confessor's  replies  expressed  only  desire  to 
sacrifice  himself  in  so  good  a  cause,  he  was  taken  back  to  the  pit, 
plunged  in  the  water  to  his  knees,  then  to  his  neck,  taken  out, 
plunged  in  again,  till  he  was  completely  frozen.  He  lived  thus  three 
hours,  and,  with  his  last  breath,  uttered  the  holy  names  of  Jesus  and 
Mary. 


BEESSED    CHARLES   SPIXOLA.  239 

XXI.— August  25,  1624. 

123.  B.  Michael  Carvallio,  Portuguese,  priest  of  tlie 
Society  of  Jesus.  124.  B.  Peter  Vasquez,  Spaniard, 
Dominican  priest.  125.  B.  Louis  Sotelo,  Spaniard, 
and  126.  B.  Louis  Sosanda,  Japanese,  both  priests  of 
the  order  of  St.  Francis  ;  and  127.  B.  Louis  Baba, 
Japanese  Catechist  of  the  same  order  :  all  burned 
alive. 

From  liis  prison  in  Omura,  resemblingB.  Spinola'sBMicliaol  Car- 
vallio wrote  :  "  We  are  all  feeble  and  infirm  in  body,  but  sustained 
and  consoled  in  spirit,  for  God  grants  his  favors  in  proportion  to  suf- 
ferings. If  it  please  liis  Sovereign  Majesty  tbat  I  die  in  tliis  prison, 
devoured  by  vermin  and  covered  by  filth,  His  will  be  done,"  After 
enduring  this  torment  for  a  year  and  a  half,  they  were  taken  from 
Omura  to  Scimabara,  where  they  were  burned.  The  executioner, 
wishing  to  fix  the  rope  on  one  of  the  stakes,  used  the  body  of  B.  Vas- 
quez as  a  footstool — mounting  on  his  shoulders — without  the  mar- 
tyr's resenting  it.  After  two  hours  B.  Louis  Baba's  bonds  were 
consumed,  and  that  good  religious  went  and  kissed  the  hands  of  B. 
Va>5quez  and  Sotelo,  and  expired  at  their  feet.  On  this  occasion 
even  the  Bonzes  paid  homage  to  the  courage  of  the  martyrs,  and  ac- 
knowledged that  God  alone  could  raise  feeble  mortals  to  that  height. 

XXII.— November  15,  1624. 

128.  B.  Caius,  a  Corean,  Catechist  to  the  Jesuits, 
burnt  alive. 

Born  in  Corea,  and  still  a  pagan,  he  begged  God  to  save  his  soul ; 
and  God  showed  him  an  aged  man,  who  in  another  land  would  teach 
him  the  way  of  salvation.  Brought  to  Japan" as  a  prisoner  of  war, 
he  was  instructed  by  the  Jesuit  missionaries,  aided  them  in  their 
ministry,  and  in  reward  received  the  martyr's  crown.  He  was 
burned  alive  at  Nagasaki,  by  Gonroc's  order. 


240  LIFE   OF  THE 


XXIII.— June  20,  1626. 

229.  Francis  Paclieco,  Portuguese  priest,  fe.  Bal- 
thasar  de  Torres,  Spanish  priest.  13] .  B.  John  Bap- 
tist Zola,  ItaHan  priest.  132.  B.  Peter  Kinscei,  Jap- 
anese. 133.  B.  Vincent  Caum,  Corean.  134.  B.  John 
Chinasco.  135.  B.  Paul  Scinsuche.  136.  B.  Michael 
Tozo.  137.  B.  Gaspar  Sadamatzu,  Japanese — all  of 
the  Society  of  Jesus,  burned  alive. 

In  1626  tlie  emperor  published  new  edicts  of  unheard-of  severity. 
Every  practice  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  even  the  use  of  the  Eu- 
ropean calendar,  was  punished  with  death,  and,  to  execute  these  acts, 
an  army  of  spies  was  organized. 

The  first  to  fall  into  the  tyrant's  hands  was  B.  Francis  Paclieco, 
provincial  of  the  Jesuits  and  administrator  of  the  diocese.  For  easier 
communication  he  had  remained  at  Cocinotzu,  a  port  in  the  kingdom 
of  Arima.  He  was  taken,  with  several  others  of  his  order,  to  Scima- 
bara,  and  shut  up  in  a  dungeon  in  the  fortress.  B.  Balthasar  de 
Torres,  and  Michael  Tozo,  his  catechist,  were  soon  after  taken  near 
Nagasaki,  and  imprisoned  at  Omura.  The  two  parties,  all  Jesuits, 
were  then  sent  to  Nagasaki,  and  met  at  the  foot  of  the  sacred  moun- 
tain, where  they  saluted  and  embraced  one  another  with  the  most 
lively  joy,  amid  the  applause  of  the  Christians  and  wonder  of  the 
pagans.     It  was  the  Great  Martyrdom  renewed. 

XXIY.— July  12,  1626. 

138.  B.  Mancio.  139.  B.  Mathias  Arachi.  140.  B. 
Peter  Arachi  Cobioia.  141.  B.  Susanna,  his  wife. 
142-3.  B.  B.  John  Tanaca,  and  Catharine  his  wife. 
144-5.  B.B.  John  Naisen,  and  Monica  his  wife.  146. 
Louis,  their  son,  seven  years  old — all  Japanese- 
burned  or  beheaded. 


BLESSED    CHARLES   SPINOLA.  241 

After  the  religious,  their  hosts  were  arraigned.  Cavaci,  the  new 
governor  of  Nagasaki,  ordered  them  all  to  be  put  to  death.  Ho  first 
subjected  them  to  fearful  tortures.  The  ladies  were  exposed  to  the 
irsults  of  the  mob.  Susanna  was  hung  by  her  hair  to  a  tree  for 
eight  hours.  Monica  and  Catharine  were  forced  to  swallow  and 
then  eject  great  quantities  of  Avater :  all  were  thrown  into  loath- 
some dungeons.  Mancio  died  there,  but  his  body  was  burned  with 
the  rest  on  the  Holy  Mountain  of  Nagasaki.  The  ladies,  with  little 
Louis,  were  beheaded.  The  young  martyr  was  taken  to  execution 
in  a  soldier's  arms.  When  set  down,  not  understanding  all  the 
preparations,  he  ran  to  his  mother,  who,  absorbed  in  the  thought  of 
her  approaching  death,  pushed  him  away,  exciting  his  grief  and 
surprise.  His  father,  perceiving  it  from  his  stake  said :  "  Grieve  not, 
Louis  ;  in  a  few  moments  we  shall  all  three  be  re-united  in  heaven.'' 
All  the  martyrs  died  in  similar  sentiments.  One  of  them,  Jolm  Tan- 
aca,  an  aged  man,  did  what  was  deemed  miraculous.  Seeing  his 
bonds  consumed,  he  left  his  stake  and  went  to  each  martyr,  saluting 
them,  kissing  their  hands,  praising  God  for  their  constancy,  passing 
through  the  burning  coals  as  if  he  were  incombustible.  He  then 
went  back  to  his  stake  and  died  praying. 

XXV.— July  29, 1627. 

147.  B.  Louis  Bertrancl,  priest.  148.  B.  Mancio,  of 
the  Holy  Cross;  and  149.  B.  Peter  of  St.  Mary—both 
Japanese — all  of  the  order  of  St.  Dominic  :  burned 
alive. 

B.  Louis  Bortrand,  a  nephevv^  of  St.  Louis  Bertrand,  the  apostle  of 
South  America,  was  burned  at  Omura,  with  two  fervent  Catechists 
of  his  order.  This  is  about  all  we  know  of  their  martyrdom,  the 
narratives  being  less  detailed  as  the  times  grew  more  difficult. 

XXYI.— August  16,  1627. 

150.  B.  Francis  Curobioje,  and  151.   B.  Caius  Je- 
ll 


2i2  LIFE   OF   THE 

mon,  Japanese,  beheaded.  152.  B.  Magdalen  Cliiota, 
related  to  the  king  of  Biingo,  burned.  153.  B.  Fran- 
cis, Japanese,  burned.  154.  B.  Francis  of  St.  Mary, 
a  Spaniard,  priest  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis ;  with 
155.  B.  Bartholomev/ Laurel,  a  Mexican;  and  156.  B. 
Anthony,  of  St.  Francis,  a  Japanese,  his  Catechist  of 
the  same  order,  burned  alive.  157.  B.  Gaspar  Voz, 
Japanese,  beheaded.  158.  B.  Thomas  Yo,  Japanese, 
beheaded.    159.  B.  Francis  Enlioie,  Japanese,  burned. 

160.  B.  Luke  Chiemon ;  161.  B.  Michael  Chizaiemon ; 
162.  B.  Louis  Matzuo  ;   163.  B.  Martin  Gomez  ;   and 

161.  B.  Mary — all  Japanese — beheaded. 

XXVII.— September  7, 1627. 

165.  B.  Thomas  Tzugi,  Japanese  priest,  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Jesus  ;  166.  B.  Louis  Maqui ;  and  167.  B. 
John,  his  son — Japanese  ;  all  burned  alive. 

B.  Tliomas  Tzugi,  born  on  tlie  territory  of  Omura,  Avas  educated  in 
the  seminary  of  Arima,  and,  entering  the  Society,  became  a  very  dis- 
tinguished preacher.  In  the  worst  times  of  the  persecution  he  as- 
sumed all  sorts  of  disguises  to  sustain  the  faithful,  and  especially 
that  of  porter ;  but  one  day  his  courage  failed  him,  and  he  asked  to 
withdraw  from  the  Society  of  Jesus.  He  had  scarcely  received  his 
dismission  when  he  repented,  and  asked  to  re-enter  the  order. 
Having  no  complaint  to  make  of  him,  the  superiors  merely  subjected 
him  to  fresh  trials,  and  God,  having  permitted  this  humiliation,  gave 
him  the  opportunity  to  repair  his  fault  by  martyrdom.  His  hosts 
shared  his  triumph. 

XXVIII.— September  8,  1628. 
168..  B.  Anthony  of  St.  Bonaventure,  Spanish  priest, 


BLESSED   CHARLES  SPIKOLA.  243 

and  169.  B.  Dominic,  of  Nagasaki,  both  Franciscans. 
170.  B.  Dominic  Castellet,  Spanish  priest;  171.  B. 
Thomas,  of  St.  Hyacinth,  and  172.  B.  Anthony,  of  St. 
Dominic,  Japanese,  all  Dominicans.  173.  John  To- 
machi,  with  his  fonr  sons.  174.  B.  Dominic  (sixteen 
years  old).  175.  B.  Michael,  (thirteen  years).  176. 
B.  Thomas,  (ten  years).  177.  B.  Paul,  (seven  years). 
178.  B.  John  Imamnra.  179.  B.  Paul  Aibara.  180. 
B.  Romanus.  181.  B.  Leo.  182.  B.  James  Faiascida. 
183.  B.  Matthew  Alvarez.  184  B.  Michael  Jamada, 
and  185.  B.  Lawrence,  his  son.  186.  B.  Louis  Nisaci, 
with  his  sons.  187.  B.  Francis  (five  yeaYs),  and  188. 
B.  Dominic,  (two  years).  189.  B.  Louisa,  aged  eighty 
— all  Japanese  :  twelve  burned,  ten  beheaded. 

Religious  and  liarborers  of  religious,  tliey  were  maityred  at  Na- 
gasaki by  order  of  Bungodono,  prince  of  Omura,  who  had  become  a 
violent  persecutor.  The  religious,  with  their  chief  hosts,  were 
burned.  One  of  them  has  left  us  this  noble  expression  :  "  Now  I  see 
that  I  am  thine,  0  my  Jesus !"  As  usual  the  beheading  took  place 
first.  The  heads  of  B.  Tomachi's  four  sons  were  thrown  on  his  fire 
and  consumed  with  him.  Amid  their  trials  these  noble  Christians 
chanted  the  praises  of  God. 

XXIX.— SEPTE3IBER  16,  1628. 

190.  B.  Michael  Fimonoia.    191.  B.  Paul  Fimonoia. 
192.  B.  Dominic  Xobioie,  beheaded  at  Nagasaki. 

XXX.— December  25,  1628. 

193.  B,  Michael  Nacascima,  Japanese  Jesuit,  ap- 
plied to  ''  The  Mouths  of  Hell." 


244  LIFE    OF    THE 

From  cliildliood  B.  Micliael  led  an  exemplary  life.  At  a  later  day 
lie  took  part  in  all  the  works  of  zeal  that  tlie  persecution  surrounded 
with  greatest  peril.  After  his  admission  into  the  Society  of  Jesus, 
he  bore,  with  heroic  constancy,  all  that  the  tyranny  of  his  persecu- 
tors could  invent.  He  was  first  bastinadoed  at  the  mercy  of  his  exe- 
cutioners, then  subjected,  on  different  occasions,  to  the  torture  of 
water,  used  in  the  most  brutal  manner  ;  finally,  they  had  recourse, 
for  the  first  time,  to  a  new  torture. 

Some  leagues  from  Arima,  stands  Mount  Ungen,  with  three  sum- 
mits, separated  by  fissures,  from  which  issue  boiling  waters  and  sul- 
phurous exhalations.  Tbese  waters  corrupt  and  decompose  the  flesh ; 
the  efiiuvia  they  emit  is  enough  to  extinguish  life.  Hence  they 
were  called  "Mouths  of  Hell !" 

To  use  them  against  the  Christians  required  some  skill.  The  per- 
secutor had  no  idea  of  stifling  them  instantly.  They  were  passed 
through  some  basins  where  the  water  was  onlj^kneedeep ;  then  covered 
with  boiling  water  and  gradually  plunged  into  the  deepest  fissures. 
When  they  could  bear  no  more  they  were  withdrawn.  Thus  was  B, 
Michael  Nacascima  boiled  to  pieces,  no  word  escaping  his  lips  except 
the  names  of  Jesus  and  Mary.  He  knew  by  experience  the  eflBcacy 
of  this  invocation,  for  in  a  letter  written  after  his  first  torture  to 
Father  Emanuel  de  Borges,  we  read :  "  When  the  pain  became  too 
intense,  I  invoked  Our  Lady  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  my  pain  in- 
stantly ceased." 

XXXI.— September  28,  1630. 

194.  B.  Jolm  Cocumbuco.     195.  B.  Mancio.  196. 

B.  Micliael  Cliinosci.     197.  B.  Lawrence  Scixo.  198. 

B.  Peter  Cufioie.     199.  B.  Thomas,  all  of  the  third 
order  of  St.  Augustine,  beheaded. 

Between  1629  and  1632  there  were  more  than  three  hundred 
martyrs,  but  positive  information  could  be  obtained  only  as  to  six. 
God  knows  and  crowns  all. 


BLESSED   CKARLES  SPINOLA.  245 


XXXII.— Septembek  3,  1632. 

200.  B.  Bartholomew  Guttierez,  Mexican  priest. 
201.  B.  Vincent  Carvallio,  Portuguese  priest.  202.  B. 
Francis  of  Jesus,  Spanish  priest,  all  three  Augus- 
tinians.  203.  B.  Anthony  Iscicla,  Japanese  priest  of 
the  Society  of  Jesus.  304.  B.  Jerome  cle  Torres, 
Japanese  priest.  205.  B.  Gabriel  of  Magdalen, 
Spanish  Franciscan. 

From  1629  Tacliimaga  Uneme,  successor  to  Cavaci,  governor  of 
Nagasaki,  and  commissary  of  the  Emperor  in  all  Southern  Japan, 
undertook  by  every  means  to  extirpate  Christianity.  He  exhausted 
the  patience  of  the  Christians  by  prolonged  tortures,  and  attacked 
them  in  every  way  most  repugnant  to  their  instincts.  He  forced 
the  men  to  go  on  all  fours  like  brutes  through  filth ;  lie  exposed  the 
women  stripped  to  the  insults  of  the  mob,  and  other  atrocities.  It 
must  be  admitted  that  the  number  of  apostates  then  increased.  No 
succor  could  reach  them,  and  tyranny  developed  an  infernal  system. 
After  terror  came  stratagem.  Uneme  pretended  to  relax.  He  took 
the  air  of  one  who  felt  that  it  was  all  over  and  the  Christians  extir- 
pated. At  the  same  time  he  watched  all  suspected  spots,  and  soon 
captured  several  priests  on  whom  he  resolved  to  try  every  means  of 
seduction,  and  if  he  failed,  every  species  of  torment.  He  was  bent 
especially  on  obtaining  the  apostacy  of  the  Japanese,  above  all  of 
one  like  B.  Anthony  Iscida,  a  Jesuit  and  priest  as  well.  But  all  his 
arts,  all  his  oflfers  failed  to  move  the  holy  religious.  Then  he  had 
recourse  to  the  "  Mouths  of  Hell,"  and  employed  them  with  refine- 
ments of  cruelty.  Each  martyr  was  taken  thither  separately ;  each 
subjected  to  the  torture  of  the  devouring  waters  as  far  as  his  strength 
permitted.  The  strongest  were  tortured  six  times  a  day ;  a  physi- 
cian daily  applying  remedies  till  they  were  able  to  begin  again. 
This  torture  lasted  a  month,  not  a  martyr  quailed.  The  tyrant 
was  defeated,  and  the  whole  city  of  Nagasaki  proclaimed  the  hero- 
ism of  the  martyrs  of  Jesus  Christ.     Uneme,  to  conceal  his  defeat, 


246  LIFE    OF   THE 

had  them  secretly  conveyed   to   the  Sacred  Mountain  and  there 
privately  burned. 


Such  are  the  two  hundred  and  five  martyrs  whose 
process  could  be  regularly  conducted.  Of  these 
seventy-eight  were  members  of  religious  orders  in 
the  strict  sense,  being  priests,  catechists  or  tertiaries. 
St.  Dominic  numbers  twenty-one  children ;  St.  Fran- 
cis, eighteen ;  St.  Augustine,  five ;  and  St.  Ignatius, 
thirty-four. 

These  were  not  the  last  martyrs.  The  persecution 
continued  to  immolate  the  Japanese  by  hundreds ; 
and  from  1632  to  1646  seven  more  Dominicans,  two 
Franciscans,  two  Augustinians,  and  forty  Jesuits 
were  put  to  death  for  the  faith,  some  by  fire,  others 
by  the  horrible  torture  of  the  pit.  Even  later  it  was 
not  fear  that  arrested  the  missionaries ;  but  the  im- 
possibility of  penetrating  into  Japan,  without  tramp- 
ling on  the  image  of  Jesus  crucified.  The  country 
was  closed,  till  the  moment  God  had  set  apart  to 
pour  down  his  favors  on  the  descendants  of  so  many 
noble  martyrs. 


BLESSED   CHARLES   SPINOLA.  24:7 


B.  SPINOLA'S  PRACTICE  OF  DEVOTION 


IN  HONOR  OP  THE 


BLESSED  VIKGIN,  MOTHEE  OE  GOD. 


This  practice  consists  iu  honoring  Mary  specially  as  Motlier  of 
God,  and  glorifying  tlie  privileges  she  enjoys  under  that  title.  He 
marks  nine  privileges  corresponding  to  the  nine  months  between 
the  Annunciation  and  Christmag.  Each  privilege  is  the  subject  of 
1st.  A  short  consideration  ;  2d.  A  homage  rendered  to  Mary — Hail 
Mary;  3d.  A  prayer  analogous  to  the  Consideration, 

I.  PRIVILEGE. — Mary,  Mother  of  God,  really  conceived  the  Eternal 
Word  by  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  will  render  thanks  to 
God,  and  conceive  the  most  profound  respect  for  his  Blessed  Mother. 
Let  me,  0  my  God,  by  submission  to  thy  holy  will,  in  some  sort 
partake  of  this  privilege,  according  to  the  words  of  the  gospel : 
"  Whosoever  doeth  the  will  of  my  Father,  who  is  in  heaven,  he  is 
my  brother,  my  sister,  and  my  mother." 

IL  Privilege. — To  Divine  Maternity,  Mary  added  Virginity. 
She  renounced  the  most  august  dignity,  rather  than  consent  to 
forego  her  virginity. 

Grant  me  by  her  merits,  0  Jesus,  to  perish  a  thousand  times 
rather  than  lose  purity  of  heart. 

HI.  Privilege.— The  i)resence  of  Jesus  in  Mary,  far  from  being  a 
burthen,  alleviated  all  pain  and  tribulation. 

May  thy  yoke  thus  be  ever  light  to  me,  O  Jesus,  that  I  may  walk 
courageously  in  the  path  of  thy  commandments. 


248  LIFE    OF   THE 

IV.  Privilege. — Mary  having  no  share  in  the  fall  of  Eve,  brought 
forth  her  Son  without  pain. 

Obtain  for  me,  0  august  Mother  of  God,  that,  rousing  from  my 
sloth,  I  may  produce  in  joy  abundant  fruits  of  salvation. 

V.  Privilege. — With  the  author  of  all  good,  Mary  received  the 
plenitude  of  Grace,  raising  her  above  all  the  Saints.  Implore 
our  Lord  by  the  merits  of  His  Holy  Mother  to  expand  your  heart 
and  prepare  it  to  receive  and  employ  the  graces  he  has  laid  up  for 
you. 

VII.  Privilege. — The  Eternal  Word  after  assuming  our  flesh  in 
the  womb  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  as  High  Priest  consecrated  it  as 
the  living  Temple  of  the  Divinity,  and  the  Most  High  has  sancti- 
fied his  tabernacle.  By  a  less  august  but  real  title  you  are  the 
temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost:  respect  it  and  implore  God,  through 
Mary  ever  to  preserve  you  free  from  stain. 

VII.  Privilege. — Mary's  womb  is  the  precious  vase  containing 
the  bread  of  life,  our  Spiritual  food.  She  invites  you  to  share  it 
with  her.  May  you,  by  her  intercession,  relish  it  with  her,  and  ever 
increase  in  virtue  and  merit. 

VIII.  Privilege. — By  the  ineffable  communications  of  the  second 
Adam,  Mary  has  become  a  second  Eve,  the  happy  mother  of  the 
true  living,  the  children  of  God.  Entertain  for  her  the  sentiments 
of  a  pious  child,  a  boundless  confidence,  and  an  immense  desire  to 
resemble  your  Mother. 

IX.  Privilege. — Honored  by  the  presence  of  God  and  his  at- 
tendant angels,  the  humble  virgin  is  transformed  into  a  paradise, 
illumined  with  heavenly  splendors. 

Obtain  for  me,  O  Mary,  a  like  transformation ;  and  above  all, 
help  me  to  pluck  from  the  garden  of  my  heart  the  thorns  and 
brambles,  help  me  to  make  straight  and  level  the  ways  of  the  Lord. 


CONTENTS. 


PAOK 

Preface 3 

ixtroduction 7 

PAET  I. 

PREPARATION  FOR  THE  APOSTLESHIP. 

I. — Tlie  desire  of  Blessed  Cliarles  for  Martyrdom 49 

IT. — His  Vocation  to  the  Society  of  Jesus 54 

III. — Fervor  of  the  Young  Novice 57 

IV.— The  Student's  Twofold  Progress 62 

V. — His  First  Mission  as  a  Priest 67 

VI. — Preparations  for  his  Departure  for  Japan 70 

PAET  II. 

VOYAGES  OF  BLESSED  CHARLES  SPINOLA. 

I. — ^His  Apostleship  at  Sea 74 

II. — Mission  of  Porto  Rico ■ 83 

III. — A  Prisoner  in  England 93 

IV. — Arrival  of  Blessed  Charles  in  Japan 103 

PAET  III. 

APOSTOLIC  LIFE  IN  JAPAN. 

I.— State  of  the  Mission 110 

II. — Commencement  of  his  Labors  in  Japan 117 

III. — His  Pastoral  Functions  ^ 120 

IV.— His  Domestic  Offices .' 124 

V. — The  Great  Persecution 133 

VI, — Secret  Missions  of  Blessed  Charles  Spinola 141 


250  CONTENTS. 

PAET  IV. 

MARTYRDOM. 

PAGE 

I. — The  Examination 150 

II.— Tlie  Prison 158 

III.— Behavior  of  the  Holy  Prisoner 167 

IV. — Removal  to  Firando 1 83 

v.— The  Condemnation 189 

PAET  Y. 

BEATIFICATION. 

I. — Examination  of  the  Case 210 

II. — Brief  of  Beatification 215 

Account  of  the  two  hundred  and  five  Martyrs 226 

B.  Charles  Spinola's  Practice  of  Devotion 247 


BOSTON  COLLEGE 


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